The Wolf At Your Door
by esmerod
Summary: Merlin succeeds at getting Arthur to Avalon and saving his king. But the price the Sidhe claim for Arthur's life might be higher than what Merlin bargained for. So without a proper grasp of what he got himself into this time, he and Arthur return to Camelot. And as if this wasn't enough, there's also the little fact that Arthur's still not entirely over the whole magic reveal thing
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: I own nothing, all of this is written for the sole porpuse of my own and (other fans') amusement. It would certainly be nice to earn money with this but I don't.**

Prologue

_„Emrys, don't forget there is a price for everything."_

Merlin stared out at the swirling lights over the lake's rippled surface. He was cowering on the ground, still desperately clutching Arthur's lifeless form to his chest. "I know. I'm prepared to give everything! You can have my life in exchange for his!" he yelled.

The lake's waters started rising, the Sidhe moving faster. A storm was coming.  
_"It's not your life we seek, warlock."_

Merlin could feel the despair growing. The body in his arms was already cooling, life's breath having fled from it several minutes ago. He wiped away the tears in the corner of his eyes and tried to focus on the eerily glowing lights.  
"Then please… tell me what you want!" He sounded chocked now. Anguish was closing off his throat, making his voice raw and barely able to contain the sobs that threatened escape. "I'd do anything…"

_"It's not your life we seek, warlock. It's your soul…"_

The wind picked up and carried the disembodied words over the shores of lake Avalon, over the hills and forests surrounding it, until they finally died away in the distance but still resonated within every fibre of Merlin's being.

"My soul? " he stammered, "but…"

_"You said anything. Is the magnitude of your loyalty so limited to mortal scales that an immortal price puts you off?"_

Merlin shook his head. The Sidhe were taunting him, their spiteful laughter resounding in the wind that violently blew through the leaves and tore at his clothes. He knew they were trying to lure him in and that this deal was something that he would most likely come to regret, but when he had said _anything_ he had meant it. He didn't really know what _his soul_ implied but that didn't matter because in the end Merlin would always pay the price. Arthur's life was worth it and getting him back was worth _everything_.

So he nodded and stared ahead into the madly dancing circus of lights hovering over the lake's turbulent surface. "You shall have my soul in exchange for King Arthur's life."  
The Sidhe started hissing in triumph and laughter but Merlin held out his hand, his eyes glowing gold, "but only…" he took a deep breath, " but only if you promise to never threaten the king's or any of his associates' lives again and welcome him back to Avalon once natural causes take him."

The swirling light that must have been the Sidhe elder hovered in front of him before the grave resonance of his voice struck Merlin and made every living thing in their direct environment quiver.

_"So it shall be then."_

The lake's waters started swelling, lapping around Merlin's feet, slowly engulfing him and Arthur. Maybe this was a mistake after all, Merlin thought trembling while the storm and the Sidhe's excited voices raged over him. A cold, dark fear had taken hold of him. The deal he was making now was not about an elaborate healing spell to suck the dark poison of Mordred's cursed blade out of Arthur's body but cheating death. Nobody could bring back the dead though, that was what Lancelot's return had taught him.  
By the time the rising waters reached Merlin's chest, his heart was beating so rapidly he could barely contain himself. He clutched Arthur's stiff body closer to his own while the merciless rain pounded down on them. What did it mean to surrender his soul to the Sidhe? He didn't mind dying, he didn't mind joining the ranks of Avalon in Arthur's stead but he had to make sure the resurrected king was more than a mere shade. He opened his mouth to ask but the Sidhe's voices – surprisingly clear over the storm – prevented him.

_"Fear not, Emrys. We will uphold our end of the bargain. It is yourself you should be worried for."_

That was the last thing he heard before the water had risen so high Merlin could no longer breathe. He was pulled under and Arthur slipped from his grip, getting lost in the murky darkness of the lake. Merlin wanted to scream, but only muted bubbles escaped his mouth while he tried to reach for his king. But Arthur was gone and Merlin tried to find him, his limbs flailing in panic, while the pressure in his lungs got harder and harder to bear. Without seeing he made wild grasps at nothing and was lost.

It became more and more silent underneath the surface and Merlin noticed that it was getting darker too. Though not the waters were so devoid of light, it was the one in his eyes that was slowly fading, rendering him blind. So he stopped moving, stopped searching and let himself glide soundlessly into the bottomless depths of lake Avalon.


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Arthur woke with a start. He was lying on his back and the first thing he noticed was that he was feeling surprisingly well; and that all of his clothes were soaked through.

The sky above was clear, only a few stray clouds were fleeing quickly. It almost looked as if they were the last sad remains of a storm. Arthur dragged a hand over his wet face and rubbed a few drops of water from his eyes. What had happened? He had been sure that… He didn't want to finish the thought and tried to get up instead. His surroundings only confirmed his suspicions. Everything was wet and looked a bit dishevelled, except for the lake in front of him. Its surface was completely still. Arthur glanced into the distance to the island in the lake's midst.  
_Avalon_, a little voice supplied. Arthur shook his head. His memory was a little foggy but he was sure they hadn't been at a lake the last thing he remembered. They had tried to make it here but he had… Arthur swallowed hard. He was sure he had died before they reached the shores.

He scrambled to his feet. For a moment he wondered at the absence of pain and instinctively reached for the spot near his heart that used to be the epicentre of his agony, only to feel nothing. He was fine. There was no pain, he actually felt better than he had in a long time. Startled he continued scanning his surroundings and tried to make sense of what he saw.

Not far from him a body was lying on the ground, face-down, half submerged in the water. Arthur immediately recognized the black mop of hair that was Merlin and wanted to rush over. The body, though, used exactly that same moment to pathetically groan and roll on its back. Arthur couldn't suppress an eye roll and took a deep breath. So the idiot was alive then. Good.

He walked over at a leisurely pace and lightly kicked Merlin's thigh once he reached him.  
"What happened?"  
Merlin, on his part, seemed to need a moment to grasp what was going on before his eyes snapped open and focused on Arthur. "You're alive."  
An incredulous smile spread across his face. "You're alive!" And as if he needed proof he grabbed for Arthur's leg and started pawing it, before he clumsily got up and crushed Arthur in a hug. After a moment of hesitation Arthur closed his arms around his incoherently mumbling manservant too.  
"It's fine, Merlin. I'm alright. Everything's going to be alright," he murmured over Merlin's chocked sounds of sobbing.

While Merlin clung to him, Arthur let his hands wander and soothingly stroked his shoulders. Merlin was shaking and Arthur decided that for this one time it was alright to just hold on to each other. They had made it; they deserved a moment of peace.  
"Nah nah Merlin, you're being a giant girl again," he said teasingly yet the slight hoarseness of his own voice didn't go unnoticed.  
Merlin sniffed and laughed at the same time. "I know." He buried his face in the crook of Arthur's neck and Arthur gently stroked the back of his head.

"I wasn't sure if it was really going to work," Merlin said with a raspy voice while his face was still pressed to Arthur.

Arthur said nothing and simply continued to hold him for a moment, before he found the amount of whiny emotional displays he could bear was reached and started to peel Merlin off of him.  
He studied his manservant's wet face. There was still this one question praying on his mind.  
"Did I die?" he asked. Merlin's reaction to awkwardly lower his gaze was the only answer he needed. "Arthur, I had to…" he answered evasively before he seemed able to muster the courage to look his king in the eye again. Arthur frowned, still holding on to Merlin's shoulders.  
"And what… what did you do?"  
"I… I actually did nothing. He Sidhe brought you back."

Arthur abruptly let go him. "The Sidhe? Merlin what are you consorting with? I thought…"

_I thought you were good_

He didn't need to finish the sentence, they both heard the unspoken words. Merlin stared at him, eyes pleading. "Arthur, I did it for you. So you could fulfil your destiny. It wasn't your time to die."  
"Oh, really? Mordred seemed to think otherwise." He was a bit surprised at the biting tone in his voice and how much Merlin flinched under it. "Arthur, please…"

He sighed, evading the sorcerer's beseeching gaze. "And what…," he gestured towards the lake.  
"I'm pretty sure the Sidhe didn't grant your request out of the goodness of their hearts."  
Merlin shook his head, slightly blushing now though. "No, magic always comes at a price. The Sidhe…" he hesitated but Arthur indicated with a nod that he should go on.  
"I'm not exactly sure what I gave them, " he mumbled. And after another strained pause in which he seriously started to poke holes in the ground with his foot, he finally admitted, "I probably traded my life for yours."

"You WHAT?!" Arthur stared at him incredulously. "Have you lost the last bit of your already very limited mental capacities?"  
Merlin raised his hand in placating gesture but Arthur raged on, "I never asked you to do this! I don't need you to sacrifice yourself for…"

"Arthur, it's my destiny!"  
It was only one sentence, spoken in a relatively calm fashion compared to Arthur's outburst, but it took the wind out of the king's sails. He stared at Merlin as if he couldn't fully grasp what he had just said.

"It's my destiny," Merlin repeated, his voice firm now and standing a bit straighter while he held Arthur's gaze. "It's what I'm here for, my purpose. Protecting you, so you can achieve all your goals is more important to me than anything else. Even more important than my own life." His eyes were so incredibly blue and his expression so open, it made Arthur swallow. It wasn't the first time Merlin said something like this but that didn't mean it made him any less uncomfortable. He had to turn away. "Merlin…"  
Sometimes he was convinced Merlin was too loyal, too good, and of course lacking any considerable sense of self-preservation. It reminded Arthur of the time Merlin had drunk poison for him but now that he knew more, he realized there must have been numerous other occasions, in which Merlin hat taken the fall for him too. It practically made Arthur dizzy with guilt and sorrow and a feeling that this was so typically Merlin, that he was almost grateful for it again. At least some things he thought he knew about his manservant turned out to be irrevocably true. So he just said: "Does that mean you're not only the worst servant in history but also the worst sorcerer?"

Merlin's expression was immediately replaced by an indignant pout. "Hey! You're alive after all."  
"Yes, and you in a pact with some equivocal faeries. Really Merlin, shouldn't you know better?" Arthur started walking away from the lake's shore, casually picking up his sword that still lay on the ground where he had woken up while Merlin trailed him. "Haven't you learned anything from court dealings? Always check a contract before you sign it." Arthur abruptly stopped and Merlin almost bumped into him. "Why are you even alive if you say you traded your life for mine?"  
Merlin shrugged sheepishly and made a deflective gesture. "That's the point I'm not entirely sure about. They were a bit vague on the details," and before Arthur could inquire some more he hastened to add, "Aren't you glad I'm alive?"

He threw Arthur a lopsided grin before he sidestepped the king and tried to continue their journey away from the lake. Arthur, though, grabbed his wrist and stopped him dead in his tracks. He looked completely serious now, all the chiding playfulness from before gone. "Of course, I'm glad you're alive. Why do you think it bothers me that you so unthinkingly put yourself in danger again? I can't imagine a world, in which you…" The rest of the sentence got swallowed up in a compensating gesture of Arthur's hand, followed by an embarrassed cough.

A traitorously red colour had crept up the tips of Merlin's ears while at the same time a pleased smile graced his lips. "It's the same for me," he mumbled, nervously massaging his neck. A bit louder he added: "You don't have to worry about the deal with the Sidhe. I'm fine. We both are. And that's all that matters for now. Once we're back in Camelot I'll try to figure something out."  
Arthur regarded him suspiciously. "And you think that'll work?"  
"I don't know. But until now it always did." Merlin shrugged and then, as if it was necessary to break the tension he punched Arthur lightly on the shoulder. "It'll be fine. Don't worry."

Arthur didn't look convinced. Quite on the contrary actually; his face displayed the mocking disbelief that was normally reserved for occasions such as Merlin telling him that he had defeated a whole bunch of bandits while the king himself had taken a little recreational nap. "You are utterly clueless, aren't you? I can't believe I actually have to put up with you."

Merlin smiled his apologetic smile. "Not utterly clueless, sire. I know for example that we've lost the horses and that we have to walk back to Camelot." Arthur's eyes widened comically. "We have what?"

"Oh yes, sire. You might remember that Morgana chased them off," he chattered. "I do admit though that I am utterly clueless about how much time has passed since then. It could be hours, it could be days, but the chances of finding them are…"

Arthur held up his hand. "Merlin, shut up."

"Yes, Arthur."

* * *

"So you can't see that future and you can't fly. What can you actually do then? Until now your powers weren't really that impressive."

Their involuntary walk through the woods had proven to be not half as much fun as Merlin remembered them from their usual hunting trips. Mostly because Arthur insisted on asking him nasty questions about the resurrection, the Sidhe pact and his magic in general. He also turned out to be much more perceptive to little inconsistencies in Merlin's tales now that he knew the truth. It made Merlin wonder if Arthur really had been that – stupidly – blind or if part of him had deliberately ignored the weird occurrences that tended to go along with their adventures. He was inclined to opt for the latter but that still didn't make him feel much better about this interrogation. A tortured sigh escaped him.

"I don't know. Until now I didn't really get the chance to test the limits of my powers. I normally only use what I need." Merlin's attention was focused on the ground, watching his step, while he walked behind Arthur through the undergrowth. It was slowly getting darker, the night approaching, and Camelot still nowhere in sight.

"How boring is that?" Arthur shoved a low-hanging branch out of their way while Merlin bristled a little behind him. "Well, my lord, you might be forgetting that Camelot still has the death penalty for any kind of magic performed. And I like my head in exactly the place it is right now."

"Don't be ridiculous, Merlin. You know I wouldn't have executed you." Arthur stopped. "Maybe banished you a little, but certainly not killed." He had a mocking grin on his face as he turned to his servant but underneath it lurked a badly hidden hurt that clouded his eyes. Merlin had to keep himself from cringing. He averted his gaze. "I know… I didn't mean…"  
His fingers grazed the fabric of Arthur's sleeve apologetically. "I was just trying to be careful," and after a pause he added, "Gaius was always so worried…" Arthur nodded then continued walking. His attention focused on the path in front of them once more.

"It is an actual miracle you were never caught, because subtlety was never your forte, Merlin," he heard Arthur say somewhere in front of him, which only made Merlin raise a sceptical eyebrow.  
"Says the one who never guessed a thing."  
In his mind Arthur's lips curled upwards at the remark but as he only saw the back of his king's head he could only guess at the expression. However, his tone sounded teasing enough when he answered: "Do you question the judgement of your king?"

"I would never dare, Your Majesty."

They continued their journey in silence. Merlin's heart torn between the relief that Arthur finally knew and that they could – somehow, awkwardly – talk about it and guilt about all the hurt he had inflicted and the trust he had undermined. There were still so many things he had to tell and to explain and he was afraid that Arthur would lose patience with him once he grasped the full extent to which Merlin had been keeping secrets from him. But he also felt that it would be too much to spill all of that now. Seeing the fear on Arthur's features once when he had revealed his magic had been enough for a lifetime. He really didn't want to scare him off, not now and not ever.

They approached the border of the woods, the outline of a small village already visible in the distance. "We'll stay there for the night. Camelot's still too far off and at your snail's pace we're never going to make it before nightfall. "[1] Merlin only nodded. It was Arthur's commanding voice, so objecting would have made little sense anyway. Besides, he really felt a bit weary.

The village wasn't anything special. Maybe a bit bigger than Ealdor, as it obviously possessed something like a centre with a square and a fountain. The inn, ironically called _The Crown_, was located right across the small enclosed space.  
Merlin could feel the villagers' eyes following them as they crossed at a nonthreatening pace. An armed man in chainmail was a sight they didn't get every day, and after all the warfare recently people were suspicious who could be trusted and who not. Though he doubted that what was left of Morgana's marauding Saxon soldiers would roam that far into Camelot lands, he still understood the villagers' wariness. He grabbed for Arthur's upper arm and threw a significant look at the sword in his hand. Arthur nodded, but with his cloak and the sheath gone there was little he could do about its threatening visibility. He clutched it a bit closer to his body and tried to give his stance a more relaxed air before he pulled the Crown's door open.

The inn's inside was just as unassuming as the outside. Wooden tables with some benches, filled with a few locals, who examined the newcomers with the same guarded curiosity the other villagers had.  
Arthur immediately went to the counter and inquired for rooms, while a heavy silence settled amongst the patrons. Merlin stood there waiting, and for a second the thought crossed his mind that it should actually be him, the servant, organizing their sleeping accommodation and not the king.  
The innkeeper's voice carried over to him, explaining that the Crown was a very small establishment and that they only had one guest room. They would have to share. Merlin shifted from one foot to the other, still feeling the other patrons' stares boring into his back. He couldn't tell what Arthur did then because suddenly the atmosphere changed and the innkeeper waved over one of the serving wenches, sounding much more eager now. The conversations resumed and Merlin wondered what little gesture had slipped his notice that seemed to have put everybody at ease so quickly.

He joined Arthur, who was led to one of the tables by the girl. "It's rare that knights come here. Thennos isn't exactly a place that attracts travellers, but we all heard of your great victory!" she said while she wiped down the table. Before she turned away again though, she gifted Arthur with an admiring smile, which made Merlin chuckle. "Already charming the ladies, huh?"  
Arthur rolled his eyes. "Shut up, Merlin. I'm a married man." Merlin lifted his hands in a placating manner, still sniggering though. In a bit more serious fashion he then leaned across the table, whispering: "What did you do to make them…" his mute gesture referring to all the lively talk around them. Arthur smiled his slightly arrogant isn't-it-obvious-smile in return. "I paid."  
Merlin frowned. "I didn't know you had money with you."

"I don't."

Before Merlin could retort anything the girl returned, carrying two bowls of something that probably was supposed to be stew. She smiled at Arthur again and purred a not very subtle "I'm Brianna, by the way". Arthur tried his best to put up his kingly, slightly distanced air when he answered: "Thank you very much, Brianna. And tell your uncle that we are very grateful."

Merlin laughed into his food as the girl pranced away. "So you told them wewere valiant knights returning from battle and in need of shelter, or what?"  
"We _are_ valiant knights returning from battle and in need of shelter. Well, at least I am. You are my servant." Merlin huffed, still amused though. He had already started eating and came to the conclusion that the stew tasted much better than it looked. Arthur still eyed it a bit suspiciously, hunger winning over quickly though. Apparently, he seemed to share Merlin's opinion on the stew's taste because after the first cautious spoon he started digging in quite vigorously.

"What do you think it is?" he mumbled chewing and swallowing, royal manners abandoned for once.  
Merlin grinned. "Rat?"  
Arthur smacked him over the head.

They finished their meal quickly. Brianna threw a hopeful look in their direction when they got up but was intercepted by the innkeeper, who led them to their room himself.  
It was sparse. Not more than a loft with one bed and a little window. Merlin threw a quick glance out of it but couldn't really see much. There was the fountain in the square again and some people having gathered there, certainly discussing the strangers that had arrived. Merlin didn't give it all that much thought as he suddenly felt pretty exhausted and the last rays of sunlight were about to disappear behind the horizon too. He eyed the bed longingly.

Arthur exchanged some last words with the innkeeper, reassuring him in unusual humility that it certainly was enough and he shouldn't worry. Merlin was tempted to roll his eyes.

"I swear if you make me sleep on the floor I'll seriously reconsider the whole worth of this resurrection thing," he muttered as soon as the older man had left. Arthur sat down on the bed, patting the space next to him with a grin. "I feel generous today, but Merlin, ifyou snore, I promise to kick your bony backside to the curb." Merlin huffed but settled next to the other man, part of him actually mildly surprised that Arthur had given in so easily. He had somehow expected more wary reservation on Arthur's part after, well, everything, but he certainly wasn't complaining. So he let his fingers drift to the fastenings of Arthur's armour and started unclasping them with practiced ease. "Let me get you out of that."  
Arthur relaxed under Merlin's ministrations, the routine known and welcome.  
For lack of space Merlin simply placed the single pieces on the floor, not paying much attention to any protocol or order. "I'll do it properly once we're back in Camelot," he said dismissively when he noticed Arthur's disapproving glare.

Arthur, however, seemed to tense a little under that prospect. Merlin's movements slowed in a barely noticeable way.  
"What are you going to do once we're back in Camelot?" Arthur asked and obviously tried very hard to sound casual.  
"What do you mean? What I always do, of course." Merlin answered and continued his task, pretending not to know what Arthur was aiming at. Two could play this game.  
"But Merlin, "Arthur turned to him, "you could do everything. I saw you…"  
His silent gesture filled in for the unspoken words. Merlin took a deep breath, still avoiding to look at his king directly.

"You called lightning from the sky." Arthur said it like it was the ultimate secret. There might even have resonated a bit of awe in his tone. Merlin swallowed.  
"Yes," he simply said. "But nothing needs to change; we can go on just as we were."  
He sounded hopeful when he finally succeeded to look Arthur in the eye again, but he only found mild resignation there. Arthur shook his head.  
"We can't, Merlin. I can't pretend not to know."

Merlin nodded, his throat felt raw and he averted is gaze again.  
"Then what…?"

"I don't know" and after a heavy pause Arthur added, "you never got any credit. You saved us all and nobody knows. Isn't it frustrating?"  
Merlin huffed a self-ironic laugh, "Of course it's frustrating! You don't know how many times I wanted to turn you into a toad because you were such an ignorant fool. But I don't do it for the credit. In the end I do it because it's the right thing to do, so don't worry about it." His tone sounded surprisingly final when he quickly squeezed Arthur's hand in a friendly manner.  
Arthur's shoulders slumped a little, the tension draining from him. "I don't think Camelot can handle another sorcerer right now," he admitted meekly. Merlin only nodded again, his gaze drifting to the far end of the room. "Actually, I agree with you there. It's too soon. So don't think I'll resent you if you don't tell them right away."

Now it was Arthur's turn to sigh deeply. He leant back on the bed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Merlin, why do you always have to be so… you?"  
Merlin gifted him with one of his typical grins. "I'm good at it," he retorted, turning towards Arthur once more. "Come on now, let us get you out of the mail," his hands already tearing at the hems.

"You're changing topic, and as I already pointed out subtlety really isn't exactly your forte." Arthur still began shrugging out of the heavy shirt, helping Merlin to lift it over his head.

"Oh, don't underestimate my skills. How's your wound?"  
"Fine, I guess." He looked down on himself when Merlin unceremoniously unbuttoned his gambeson, examining the cut. It was nothing more than a slightly paler line now, looking more like an old scar. When Merlin started prodding it Arthur couldn't help a wince though and eventually slapped his servants' hand away.  
"I'm fine," he repeated grumbling, a little blush spreading over his cheeks. Merlin rewarded him with a raised eyebrow, which would have made Gaius proud, but still was satisfied enough with his examination to let Arthur be. "Are you going to sleep?"

Arthur nodded, quickly assessing the space of the bed. "You sleep on the wall side."

"I do? But what if you fall off?"

"I won't if you get those lanky limbs of yours under control." With that Merlin was shoved against the wall. It made him shudder a little but he adjusted quickly as he felt Arthur settle in next to him. So sandwiched between the cold wall on the one side and the warmth of Arthur's body on the other, Merlin couldn't really decide whether he felt comfortable or not. He tended towards _or not_ but considering what this day had already brought he didn't mind that much.

The room was pretty dark now, the light from the outside having almost faded. Through the little window above their bed he could see the sky but it was greyish dark, no stars out yet to lighten it up.  
Merlin sighed and wondered if it meant anything. Next to him Arthur stirred and turned to lie on his side so that his back was turned towards Merlin.  
Merlin listened into the darkness, waiting for more to come but the only thing he could hear was Arthur's slightly irregular breathing. So he stared at the ceiling, exhausted and restless at the same time, his hands clenched while his thoughts whirled.

"Arthur?" he asked into the silence.

A grunt was the answer. Merlin hesitated. He knew it was too early but he wouldn't be able to give it a rest until they had at least brushed the topic. Cautiously he turned a little bit more towards Arthur.

"Are you still angry?"

For a while nothing happened, the words hanging heavily between them. Merlin could hear the pounding of his own heart in his ears, the increased tension making him feel slightly dizzy.  
Then Arthur shifted and turned to lie on his back again. "Yes."

Merlin swallowed. "I understand…" he murmured and couldn't help the subdued feeling that made his nervous heart clench some more.  
"Do you really?" Arthur's voice sounded strained, his gaze focused on the ceiling.  
"I trusted you, Merlin. And now I'm not even sure I know who you are anymore."

"But of course you do! I'm the same person I always was. I just…" his voice trailed off, searching for Arthur's gaze that was still directed upward, ignoring him. So he grabbed the other man's wrist instead and squeezed. "I'm Merlin," he said, putting effort into making his voice as steady as possible. "I'm every bit the idiot you always thought I was. I'm just also a bit more…"

His words echoed in the darkness. Arthur still refused to show a reaction but Merlin could feel his rapid heartbeat under the skin of his wrist. The blood was rushing through his veins just as fast as Merlin's own. He was nervous, and somehow that made Merlin reconsider. He loosened his grip and immediately Arthur's hand began moving. It twisted and wriggled free, brushing Merlin's fingers lightly in the process before being placed on Arthur's flat stomach. "I don't know," Arthur finally said. "I think I have to get to know you again first."

Merlin swallowed but couldn't suppress an anxious smile. "So you're giving me a chance?" he asked hopefully.

Arthur shrugged. "I might… if you don't annoy me tonight."  
The rest of the tension fell away and let Merlin settled down on the bed once more.  
"You prat! I'm actually quite an agreeable person, just so you know. I could try to prove it to you."

"And how would you do that?"  
Arthur was obviously trying to sound unimpressed, so Merlin answered with a sheepish shrug. "Would you like to see some more magic?"  
After a moment of hesitation he felt Arthur's nod.

Merlin raised a hand and didn't need to think long. He conjured the sphere of blue light. It illuminated the small room and revealed the wonder in Arthur's face.

"I know that one," he murmured almost reverently. Merlin nodded.  
"I thought you might."

The sphere floated a few centimetres above his hand, emitting its calm glow. It sucked in the attention of Merlin's gaze just as much as Arthur's. That's why it surprised him all the more when Arthur suddenly lifted a hand to touch it. With an outstretched finger he nudged it softly, the sphere wavering a little under the king's touch but not budging otherwise.  
"It's warm," Arthur stated amazedly. Merlin nodded again, when a little absentmindedly. He could feel Arthur's attention and amazement towards the sphere as if it was directed at him. It made him feel a bit warm on the inside.

"If you want to you can hold it," he offered shyly.

Arthur seemed to consider it but then shook his head. "No… maybe another time."

The rejection hurt, of course, but Merlin could also understand that it might have been asked a bit too much for their first try. So he let the sphere float up to the ceiling instead, illuminating their humble chamber from above. Both their gazes followed it for a moment.

"But Merlin, I thought you were out cold when I went to that cave to get that flower for you?"  
"I was. I saw you in my dream struggling against Nimueh. So I sent you a light." He smiled a little at the wording, fully expecting Arthur's jibe in return. "You dream of me? Now Merlin that's really a girly thing to do."

"The correct answer, my lord, is: Thank you for your help, Merlin, without which I would be dead by now."  
"You seem to forget that you would be dead too."

Merlin shrugged and mumbled "Prat".

The silence settled again, this time it was much more comfortable though. The light of the sphere above was slowly fading. "We should try to sleep."  
Arthur hmmd in agreement and shifted again, his side now fully pressed to Merlin's. The warmth of the other body had lost its contrasting effect and instead lulled Merlin into a calm almost-sleep while he listened to the silence that wasn't really all that silent anymore. The wooden bed frame creaked every time one of them moved only the slightest bit, there were steps and muffled sounds from the inn below and outside a nocturnal bird screeched. Merlin knew that this wasn't over, Arthur had far from forgiven him but for today they had talked enough.

He didn't know how much time passed like this. His thoughts drifting in a dreamlike state, neither really asleep nor fully awake. He wanted to rest properly but he knew that was probably impossible after all the things that had happened in the last few days. If he remembered correctly the last time he had really slept must have been the night before Morgana sent the Eancanah – not including the little knock-out by the Sidhe but part of him absolutely refused to wreck his mind over this issue too. He had to sort out Arthur first now that he was safe and they had finally defeated all their enemies. He would deal with the Sidhe later, preferably much later.

The rather loud barking of a dog interrupted Merlin's messy introspective, startling him. He rubbed his eyes, dragging himself in an upright position while Arthur still snored soundly next to him.  
For a moment Merlin was seriously tempted to - clumsy as he was - knock the king out of the bed but then decided against it. Arthur wasn't a morning person, especially if morning was actually the middle of the night, and he didn't want to endanger the still fresh truce between them.  
So he tried to make out what was going outside on his own, but with puffy eyes and almost no light he couldn't even spot the dog properly. It took him a bit of magical enhancement to finally make out the beast, pressed against the wall of a shabby house while barking frantically at something at the other side of the square. Merlin squinted but couldn't see what the cause of all this commotion was and considered for a moment to just mute the mutt with some magic when something caught his eye. It was a movement, barely recognizable, the swish of a long cloak on the uneven floor.  
Merlin pressed his nose flat against the cold pane of the window but whatever it had been it was gone now, only the fading impression of red had somehow imprinted itself into his retinas. He rubbed his eyes again. The dog also got silenced by a hard blow over the head and a growled threat by its owner. This was all so weirdly surreal, Merlin massaged his temples and lay back again.  
And while he stared at the ceiling he wasn't even sure anymore it had really happened.

* * *

Arthur barely registered the push before he fell. But the impact on the wooden floor was certainly enough to wake him up properly.

"Merlin!" The word had left his mouth before he could even think about it. So he dragged himself into an upright position only to see his servant still sleeping innocently on the bed. He reached for his sword and considered scaring the incompetent idiot into consciousness when Merlin turned around, his arms wrapped around his lean frame, shaking slightly.  
Arthur frowned. What was going on? The idiot was whimpering quite pathetically, his eyelids fluttering as if… as if he had a nightmare.  
Without much thinking he grabbed Merlin's shoulders and started shaking him. He didn't expect the startled cry and the golden gleam when the latter's eyes finally snapped open though.

"Arthur…" he mumbled, blinking confusedly against the daylight.  
"It's only a dream, you idiot. Now get up!" Arthur let go of him and considered the matter settled while he turned away from Merlin towards the strewn items on the floor, searching for his belt. Merlin didn't move from the bed though, still caught in the afterglow of the dream – whatever it had been.

Arthur sighed. He didn't really have the nerve to deal with this right now. He wasn't a morning person and he was hungry. So he buckled the belt with more ferocity than necessary and collected the rest of his clothes while his useless servant still stared into empty space.  
"Merlin, get your lazy bum moving. I want to get back to Camelot, preferably today."  
That seemed to do the trick because Merlin shook his head and then snapped his attention back at Arthur, only now really looking at him. "Oh… yeah… sure."

He scrambled to his feet and helped Arthur with the remaining clothes, still a bit jittery though in the way his hands moved too erratically and imprecisely. Arthur couldn't supress an eye roll.  
"What was the dream about?" He finally asked.  
"Dream?"  
"Your nightmare. And don't you dare telling me this display of scatterbrainedness is normal, because I know it's not."

"Ahhhh I don't remember." Merlin stood back a little, his expression something between sheepish and strained but at least awake, for now.  
Arthur frowned. "I thought we had settled on you telling me the truth from now on." With that he turned towards the door and left for the taproom. Merlin stared after him with a dumbfounded expression before he had collected himself – and his clothes – enough to run after the king.

"Arthur… I really don't remember…."

He only caught up with him downstairs when Arthur was already seated at the table they had occupied the day before. "I really don't remember properly," he repeated in a low voice while he sat down opposite the other man. "It was weird, I can't grasp it… but it was nothing."  
Arthur gave him a critical once-over then decided to the wave the serving wench over nonetheless. As Brianna didn't seem to have morning duty, the inn keeper came personally and took their orders.

"This _nothing_ had you staring into space for two whole minutes and, Merlin, your eyes…." The meaningful gesture told the rest. Merlin swallowed and lowered his gaze to the table, obviously uncomfortable, so Arthur added: "If there is something more you want tell me, now would be..."  
"NO!" Merlin interrupted a bit more vehemently than intended because it got them the little number of early morning customers looking their way.  
"No," he repeated a bit calmer. "It was really nothing. It has never happened before and I don't remember anyway. Not everything is…" he paused before adding, "magic."  
Arthur raised an eyebrow. "And yesterday you had me believe that was exactly the case."

The inn keeper brought their breakfast while they stared at each other, Merlin obviously still rather confused what had actually caused this fight. Arthur wasn't that sure about it either. The fact alone that the first thing in the morning he got to see was his "trusted" manservant tormented by dreams and knowledge – magic, he mentally supplied – he had no idea of, wasn't exactly how he imagined a good start into the day.

Without paying much attention to it he started sipping the flavourless soup they had been served. Merlin did the same while eyeing him sporadically for any signs of another outburst, but the issue was over by Arthur's standards. He didn't want to think about it right now. Today was the day he was supposed to return to Camelot victoriously, he should rejoice. Just that he wasn't. Not with his useless servant around, who was trying to throw him some inquiring puppy eyed look over his bowl. "You're being ridiculous, Merlin." Arthur muttered while staring down the little carrot piece floating in the brown liquid before him.  
"Not more ridiculous than you, clotpole," Merlin countered. "What's wrong with you, Arthur?"  
"What's wrong with _me_? I'm not the one with…" he didn't get any further instead a loud bang from the main door interrupted them. A middle-aged man stormed in, not paying any attention to the patrons and aimed directly for the landlord instead. "I couldn't find her. She's not at Baelfire's." [2]  
A collective whisper went through the room, everybody apparently aware of the meaning of the newcomer's words. Several people got up and joined the two of them at the counter and a rather lively discussion ensued. Arthur and Merlin observed the whole thing rather sceptically because every once in a while one of the locals threw misgiving look their way.

"Whatever's going on, apparently we are responsible." Arthur said, getting up in a rather demonstrative manner. "When aren't we responsible?" retorted Merlin with a self-deprecating half smile and joined his king. An unspoken agreement had been reached between them that they were glad for this little distraction.

"What's going on, people?" Arthur asked openly into the room, approaching the counter now.  
"It doesn't concern you," came one of the voices from the crowd but the people still made way for him, so that he could see the wary inn keeper, who seemed to have aged about ten years since yesterday. Arthur wondered briefly how he couldn't have noticed the man's troubled appearance before, but apparently his own troubled idiot was enough to make him turn blind. He mentally noted not to let himself get absorbed in Merlin's issues again, at least not too quickly.

"It's Brianna, milord. She's missing."  
Arthur frowned and threw a look in Merlin's direction, only to see that he seemed as surprised as himself. "And I assume you already checked all the places she could be?"

The inn keeper nodded.

"And she doesn't have acquaintances outside the village she might have decided to visit on short notice?" barged Merlin in.  
"No, not that I'm aware of," the inn keeper supplied dutifully.  
"And she wouldn't leave without telling anybody," added another voice. Arthur hummed and rubbed his chin. It almost appeared as if answering the two strangers' questions – they came from the court after all – seemed to have a calming effect on the crowd. They all regarded them expectantly, though this slight trace of suspicion wasn't entirely gone either.

"She's an attractive young woman, couldn't she have a lover some…" Arthur couldn't finish, the loud bang of a fist crashing on a table's surface and making the tankards on it rattle, interrupted him. He turned around slowly, facing the middle-aged man, whose arrival had caused this whole ruckus. His face was red up to under the hairline. "She doesn't have a lover," he spoke slowly, pressed, "she's a virtuous maiden."  
Arthur wasn't so sure about that, considering her interest in him yesterday, but he certainly wouldn't contradict this angry defender of Brianna's virtue. "You're her father, I presume." The man nodded.

Arthur took a deep breath and scanned the people in the tavern once more. They mostly consisted of men and women, who were past their prime. Now that he thought about it, Brianna had been the only young person they had seen, who wouldn't be considered a child. He understood that many of the younger people left for a more promising life in the city, but Thennos wasn't such a backwater village as, for example, Ealdor – Arthur always thought of Ealdor when he needed the mental image of an utterly remote place.

"Where are all the other young people?" he asked despite already guessing the answer.  
Someone snorted. "Fighting for the king, of course."  
"The war is over. They'll soon return," he supplied in the gentlest manner he could muster. Next to him Merlin shifted a little closer, their arms brushing. He had held back until now because this was a discussion Arthur had to face on his own. He was the king and he had called these men to battle, and even if these villagers didn't know who he was, he felt responsible to answer to their questions and calls.

"If they return!"  
"They will! We had losses but they weren't as big as they could have been. Thanks to the generous help of…."

_A sorcerer_

He couldn't finish the sentence but the people weren't listing properly anyway. An agitation had broken out and the mood, which had been at the brink of tipping over for a while, had gone sour now. Irate whispers were shared amongst the people. They were wary of him, he was a knight of Camelot after all. One of those people, who had taken their children from them.  
So Arthur held up his hands in a placating gesture.

"People, your sons will return soon. They fought valiantly in a battle we won and the witch is finally defeated, so this was _– hopefully –_ the last one in a long time." He looked around, purposefully having drawn himself up to his full height because he knew of the effect it normally had. The people looked still angry but they had heard him and that was the most important thing.

"As for the missing girl," Arthur went on, "if she doesn't turn up within a day, send word to Camelot, someone to investigate the case shall be sent."

This announcement made the volumes of the whispers in the room rise to a new level, but Arthur had already turned around and was facing the door now. There was nothing left they could do concerning the girl's absence right now.  
He was approaching the exit when somebody called after him: "How can you make such promises? You talk as if you were the king!"  
A small smile spread on his face and he was already about to turn around when Merlin placed a hand on his upper arm and beat him to it. "Because he_ is_ the king," he simply said, the crowd behind them gaping as they left the inn.

"You enjoy this kind of displays, don't you?" he asked Merlin when they were back in the square.  
Merlin grinned and retorted slyly: "Not as much as you do, Your Majesty."

Arthur laughed.

* * *

Their journey back to Camelot had been uneventful. They had talked a little about the missing girl, the soldiers returning home and the people in Camelot waiting for the two of them; but they purposefully avoided the topic of Merlin's nightmare.  
Merlin was grateful for it though. He didn't really know what to make of if and he knew even less what to tell Arthur, so he was glad to let it rest and tick it off as a one time event.

As the walls of Camelot were approaching, Merlin started to feel edgy. He thought of Gaius and all the things that had happened in the few days since he had last seen the man. It felt like a lifetime. He told Arthur so, who only nodded in agreement first but then paused, „Since when did he know?"  
The question made Merlin wince involuntarily. He bit his lips before he answered with a sigh, "Since the very first day." The hurt in Arthur's face was so blatantly obvious that Merlin felt the wave of guilt practically crushing him. That's why he added, "He fell from the railing, I couldn't let him break every bone in his body because I had barged in without knocking."

Arthur forced a little laugh. "There. That proves it."  
"Proves what, Arthur?"

"The knocking, Merlin! I always knew there was something wrong with you for not knocking like normal people do."

Merlin joined Arthur with the forced smile but said nothing more. They were almost there now. But the sight of Camelot's white walls was not as reassuring as it could have been because there rose a column of black smoke over the citadel. Merlin stopped dead in his tracks, his gaze glued to it like a bad omen but Arthur nudged him, beckoning him to move. "They're honouring the dead. It's not…"  
The sentence stay unfinished but Merlin nodded. Of course, it was the pyres for the fallen soldiers, not sorcerers burning in the yard. Merlin knew that, but sometimes he still feared.

They passed the gate to the Lower Town. There were surprisingly little people on the streets, many of them probably attending the ceremony. Those that were around though displayed the usual lethargy that seemed to take a hold of people once the battle was over and it became clear how high the price for victory was. Because someone always paid it.

They didn't speak as the passed the stands. It was uncalled for. Still Arthur gave little nods when people recognized him, their surprise written plainly on their faces. It broke their stupor and the whispers started to travel, accompanying Arthur and Merlin as they ascended to the castle. By the time the had arrived at the inner wall, Camelot seemed a lot more alive again. People left their houses or opened their windows to see the two of them pass. They waved and the shout of "the king is back!" was several blocks ahead of them.

A pleased smile spread over Arthur's face and Merlin couldn't help feeling a bit elevated either. Yes, the king was back indeed, and that was because of him.  
The positive feeling quickly evaporated though when he spotted the multitude of pyres piled in the court. There was a whole circle of lower ones built around three higher ones in the middle, and all of them burned.

The smoke burned in Merlin's eyes when they tried to squeeze themselves through the crowd that stood tightly packed and clad in dark colours at the edge of the court. It was all so solemn that the surprised gasp when finally someone yelled "make space for the king" seemed almost surreal.  
The crowd parted, confusion and joy flitting over their faces, as if they were unsure if it was appropriate to feel pleasure at such an occasion. Arthur handled the whole situation with his usual kingly grace, lifting his hand and reassuring people while at the same time looking benevolently stern and not hesitating in making his way to the other side of the court where his queen waited at the stairs.

Gwen had stumbled down a few steps before she had caught herself and was now waiting with the same dignity her husband displayed while he walked over to her. Merlin could only observe with awe as the two of them embraced quickly before Arthur turned to the crowd once more, facing the burning pyres and making entirely clear that now wasn't to moment to celebrate his return. It was the last glory for the deceased, so for once the living could wait. The crowd seemed to understand that as well, because the agitation settled and the attention returned to the slowly dwindling fires of the funeral pyres. Still, some of the joy stayed.

Merlin stood next to Gaius, who only reached for his hand and gifted him with a smile that said more than a thousand words. "Welcome home, my boy".  
Merlin smiled and at the same time felt tears rising to his eyes. "It's good to be back," he whispered.

TBC

[1] I actually think it rather hard to make sense of distances in Merlin. In 1x07 "The Gates of Avalon" we get the impression that lake Avalon is so close to Camelot that Aulfric and Merlin can get there (and back) within one night, but in 3x13 ("The Coming of Arthur, Part 2") Merlin tells Kilgarrah, who he meets somewhere outside of Camelot, that lake Avalon is 20 leagues (so around 95 km) away and that's why he must fly him there. It's a bit contradictory, so I decided to make it a two-days walk instead.  
[2] I might have stolen that one from ONCE UPON A TIME.


	3. Chapter 2

**I wanted to say thank you for all the very encouraging feedback I received for the last chapter. It was a great motivation booster and I really like to hear from my readers. So please leave a comment if you liked it.**

Chapter two 

Merlin felt drained. Groaning he ran a hand over his aching forehead and tried to drag himself upright. A good night's rest certainly felt different. Barely seeing, his gaze shifted to his room's little window while the last remnants of his dream were swirling before his inner eye, their elusiveness making him uneasy. With a dismissive gesture he tried to chase them away, not wanting to think about them while he tried to focus on the grey sky outside. His whole body was aching.

On the other side of the door he heard Gaius bustling about and decided it must be significantly later than what he normally got up. The sky didn't give much away, so Merlin relented and swung his legs over the edge of the bed. He had to get up eventually, even though he felt like he hadn't slept at all. Remiss he washed and gathered his strewn clothes. This was supposed to be a good day, wasn't it? With Arthur back in Camelot, alive and healthy, and Merlin in a position he could actually tell him the truth he should have felt jubilant. Just that he didn't. He was still too raw from whatever nightmare had plagued him during the night and from the goodbye he had said to all the fallen knights the day before. His gaze strayed to the window once more, before he sighed deeply and finished dressing.

When he stumbled into the work room Gaius was leaning over a concoction, giving it a critical stare.  
"Good morning," Merlin greeted, only to grimace a moment later.  
"What are you brewing? It smells… interesting." He tried to conceal the holding of his nose behind a badly timed cough and steered towards their usual table.  
Gaius ignored Merlin's antics, gesturing towards a bowl, still focused on the cauldron's contents. "I made porridge for you. I hope you're hungry. But considering the time you really should be."

Merlin sat down and wrinkled his nose one last time before taking up the spoon.  
"How late is?" he asked half chewing, half swallowing.  
"Well, certainly too late to consider that breakfast. And how many times do I have to tell you to swallow before you…" the rest of the sentence remained unsaid and Gaius reverted to just shaking his head. Merlin sent a sheepish grin in his direction.  
"It's very good," he supplied apologetically. Gaius raised an eyebrow at him.  
"Don't think you can sweet-talk your way out of this. Oversleeping is one thing, but spending half of the day in bed won't keep you in Arthur's services for much longer."  
Merlin went on chewing, unimpressed. "The last few days were not exactly relaxing, Arthur knows that. He won't sack me now because I'm a bit late."

Gaius turned towards him, giving him a critical once-over. "Merlin, you're not just a bit late. It's early afternoon, you literally spent half of the day in bed." Merlin put the spoon down, looking a bit dumbfounded but Gaius continued, "and while I understand that it's important for you to rest properly after everything that happened I think you shouldn't test Arthur's patience."  
He wiped his hands on a cloth before approaching the table, studying Merlin with a serious expression. "Is everything alright with you, my boy?"

"I… I didn't sleep very well," Merlin confessed, staring at the half-empty bowl in front of him. "But I don't think it's anything. Just the nerves, you know."

Gaius nodded and pulled out the chair opposite of Merlin.

"Well, let's hope that's indeed the case because my information on Sidhe magic has proven to be rather limited when it comes to the kind of encounter you described."  
Merlin looked up with a frown. "What does that mean?"

Gaius gestured towards a pile of books before fixing Merlin with another intent gaze. "So far I haven't been able to find any record of somebody entering a deal with the Sidhe and coming out of it alive," and after a moment of hesitation he added, "it almost seems as if your case is really a first."

Merlin didn't react until suddenly a little huffed laugh escaped him. "But that's good, isn't it."  
He looked at Gaius und despite the grin there was something visibly pained in his expression.  
"Couldn't it be that for once something good is happening without it having a catch? I mean I was surprised too but we defeated Morgana, we fulfilled the prophecy, it would only be fair that…" he couldn't continue, his throat had begun the feel constricted and his vision blurred a bit around the edges, but Gaius seemed to understand anyway. He gave a little wordless nod and patted Merlin's shoulder.

"I hope so, my boy, I really do. But until we know for sure we still shouldn't neglect research."

Merlin couldn't say anything to that but instead only responded with a curt nod and got up.

* * *

Outside Merlin squinted at the too bright sky. It was a hot and grey day, the sun hidden behind a thick layer of clouds. He dragged his feet across the courtyard and for a moment the thought crossed his mind that the ashes from the funeral pyres had already been removed. It made him wonder again how late it actually was, but then he suppressed the thought. Some servants waved at him and Merlin forced himself to smile and wave back. He took a deep breath before he pushed the doors to the castle open and entered. Inside it was cooler but Merlin still felt too raw for anything. In a way he knew that something wasn't right with him, that he should be feeling better about all of this. But he couldn't be bothered to give his own gloomy mood more consideration when he steered his steps in the direction of Arthur's chambers. He even knocked.

When no answer came he frowned and took a step back. For a moment he considered just entering like he always did but then a hand landed heavily on his shoulder and stopped him dead in his track. Sir Bors stood behind him. With his big frame, big voice and big hands Merlin often thought of him as some kind of older - yet much louder- version of Percival.  
"The king's at the council meeting," he proclaimed with a nod in the direction of the council chambers, giving him a mock stern glance.  
"Oh," Merlin frowned on confusion, "but the council always meets in the afternoon."

"Well, it is afternoon."

"Oh," said Merlin once more and scanned his surroundings as if looking for proof for the knight's words but found nothing. His bafflement must have shown on his face because Sir Bors patted his shoulder a bit harder than necessary. "Must have been a hard few days for you, boy. But we're all glad you brought us back the king alive and healthy. You know there were rumours…."

"Rumours?," he asked, still not really paying attention.

"Yeah, about the king being fatally wounded and you dragging him away to work some…" Bors flicked his wrist, "… some magic."  
Suddenly very attentive, Merlin had to suppress a violent flinch. "What?"

Bors laughed loudly and clapped his back some more over Merlin's comically wide eyes. "Oh don't worry, boy. Nobody really believes you're a sorcerer. It's just the usual gossip." With that he walked away and left a puzzled and slightly disorientated Merlin standing in front of Arthur's closed door.

Merlin stared after him before he shook his head to clear his mind. This day was really weird. And with Arthur unavailable he was actually a bit unsure about what to do with himself. Normally he would be gifted with the endless list of chores the king used to pass on to him, but today it almost seemed as if his person wasn't really needed. That felt even weirder.

His feet started to move before he could really think about where to go. That's why it surprised him all the more when he suddenly found himself in front of the entrance to the royal gardens.  
It wasn't an area he frequented often, as Arthur didn't tend to display much interest in them. Too flowery, too feminine. And for once Merlin even agreed with him – well, not with the feminine, but the flowery. As a physician (and a sorcerer) he, of course, cherished all sorts of plants, but the flowers in the castle garden were mostly cultured for their beauty and held no other medical (or magical) appeal. He let his fingers run over the soft, whitish-pink petals of a rose blossom that hung from an arch overhead, when he crossed into the garden. He could, however, admit they were pretty without hesitation.

The figure in the middle of the garden was observing him as he approached. She was smiling.

"Lovely, aren't they?" she greeted.  
"Don't forget about the thorns," he answered with a smile and took her hand to kiss it. She giggled.  
"Oh Merlin, when have you become such a charmer?"  
"I always was, you just never noticed, my lady," he winked at her.

"Don't be so sure about that." She patted the space next to her. Merlin complied and sat down on the small stone bench next to Camelot's queen. For a moment they sat in silence, just observing the beauty surrounding them before Merlin spoke: "You know it surprises me a little to find you here."  
She nodded in acknowledgement but let her gaze continue wandering over the petals and blossoms.  
"I know. I don't come here often. It's queen Ygraine's garden, not mine." She sounded thoughtful but when she finally turned to him, a little smirk started to play over her features. So with a teasing undertone she added: "If it was, I would probably root out all the pretty flowers and plant onions and herbs so the things the kitchen staff couldn't complain anymore about always having to get them from the fields outside the citadel."

They both laughed.

"The kitchen staff would certainly be most grateful to you for doing so."  
She nodded before turning more earnest, once more. "Thank you for bringing him back. You don't know what that means to me." She shifted a bit closer to Merlin and their hands brushed on the bench's surface. Gwen seemed to take it as the clue to put hers over Merlin's. He only smiled and let her.  
"It means as much to me as it does to you," he answered truthfully.

Gwen squeezed his hand. They both dwelled on their own thoughts for a moment.  
"What do you think is going to happen now?" she asked. The questions startled Merlin a little yet he still tried to give his voice a light tone when he answered: "We've won, so everything's supposed to be fine."

"It's supposed to, isn't it?" She sighed deeply and turned her gaze towards the horizon. Merlin regarded her attentively. Sometimes he forgot that Gwen had much more insight than she let on.  
"I'm going to miss her," she said softly. "I know that after all she did she doesn't deserve it, yet still I miss her. The old Morgana, you know. The good one."

The remark made Merlin swallow. He hadn't seen it coming because he hadn't spared Morgana much thought since… _Since he had killed her_. His heart clenched and another hurt was added to an already very long list.

"I ran her through with Arthur's sword," he confessed.  
"I know. He told me."

Merlin could feel the frequency of his aching heart increase rapidly. "What else has he told you?"

She regarded him with an attentive yet curious expression. "Not much. He didn't seem that clear on the details of the events. He only said that you dragged him to a lake and that you encountered Morgana on the way there. When she focused on him to deal her killing blow you used the chance and ran her through. You saved him."

Merlin's frantic pulse slowed down a little bit but he couldn't suppress a grimace. That was a rather vague description of the real events but considering the circumstances probably the only appropriate one. So he ran a hand through his hair and took a deep breath before offering Gwen a forced smile. "Yes, that's – "  
"He also said he would tell me more when the time was right."

Merlin blinked at her, stunned. "What?"  
"I don't think that's necessary though." She threw him a mischievous smile and Merlin, for a moment, wasn't sure if he had heard correctly.  
"What?" he stuttered again.

She lifted Merlin's hand into her lap, now holding it with both of her own. Her gaze, despite being so gentle and warm, did the rest to hold him in place. Merlin knew he must have appeared like a frightened deer but he couldn't help shivering because of what was coming.

"I know, Merlin," she stated, her voice clear and firm. "You're a sorcerer. You have always been. I see that now."

Merlin heard the words ringing in his ears and there was no denying it, no running from it. He felt himself shaking, barely able to return her intense stare. "Gwen," he whispered.  
"You don't have to be afraid." She laced their fingers together and broke eye contact. "I know what you have done for us. You saved Arthur with magic. Actually, you saved all of us with magic."

Merlin was at a loss for words. He could still feel the thrumming of his own heart in every fibre of his body. "I-I don't know what to say. How- How did you…"  
She touched her fingers to his lips, softly making him shut up. "When I saw you at Camlann, I knew. And Gaius, he didn't deny it."

Merlin nodded, still shaken to the core. Until now he had never been found out. And even though he had wished for nothing more than his friends seeing him for who he truly was for years now, it scared him beyond measure. "I wanted to tell you. All of you," his voice hitched.  
Gwen patted his hand reassuringly. "It's alright, Merlin. I understand how hard it must have been for you." She bedded her head on his shoulder, weirdly blurring the image of who was the one in need of comfort.

"Maybe everything _is_ going to be fine now," she whispered, more to herself than him.  
Merlin blinked. His eyes were burning and he wiped them in a hasty gesture. Maybe Gwen was right, after all.

"Look at that! Two lovebirds lazing about in the garden!"  
Merlin jerked up immediately but Gwen lifted her head in the most relaxed manner and only smiled in the direction of the newcomer's voice. "Arthur, love, come join us!"  
Arthur still wore his ceremonial robes, making Merlin conclude that he must come directly from the council meeting, when he strode over to them. "I was looking for you, Merlin . Where have you been?" Merlin frowned, he still felt a bit startled and confused about the whole situation.  
"Well, I could say the same about you. When I came to your chambers you were gone."  
The king only rolled his eyes. "I have duties, unlike some other people."  
He quickly scanned their still linked hands, rewarding his manservant with a look that said _you big girl_ most articulately, before sitting down next to him. Surrounded like this, by his king and queen, Merlin wondered for a moment if the two of them had planned this; and came to the conclusion that they most certainly had when they exchanged some meaningful looks.

Arthur cleared his throat. "I wanted to speak with you but when you didn't turn up this morning I remembered that I had promised you a day off." Merlin rewarded him with a frown.  
"My day off is today? It's a bit of a waste if I know nothing about it."

"Well, why do you think I sent nobody to fetch you? You're not getting a free ticket just because…"

_You're a sorcerer_

Arthur still couldn't say it and filled in the rest with a not very graceful swish of his hand and a grimace. Merlin was ok with it though. Hearing it more than once a day was more than he could handle right now anyway. So he gave Arthur a curt, acknowledging nod.  
"Alright, but you actually promised me two days off. And don't pretend you don't remember."

Arthur snorted. "I do remember but I never said you could have them subsequently. Besides, putting up with George is a nuisance."  
"Can't king prat do anything on his own?" Merlin asked teasingly, though the insult mostly served the purpose of covering up his own confusion over the situation. The king gave a disapproving glare and mumbled something along the lines of putting the stocks to good use again soon.

Next to him Gwen patted his knee but the little nod of her head, Merlin only noticed because he knew her so well, indicated that they were only just steering towards the actual point of their conversation. He swallowed and tried to prepare himself for whatever this was about. After all, there had to be a reason he was sitting in the castle gardens, flanked by Camelot's kind and queen like they were trying to guard him.

Arthur took a deep breath, Merlin could hear it.

"Now that Morgana is gone it will be necessary to address the laws on magic with the council."

The tension was growing inside Merlin. So this was it. He could still feel Gwen's hand on his knee, trying to reassure him, but the rising noise of his own hammering heartbeat was threatening to overwhelm her gentle gesture. He looked at Arthur, who now appeared about as tense as Merlin, a layer of sweat glistening on his forehead. Then his gaze drifted to Gwen, who gave him a strained smile.

And then everything clicked into place.

His two friends sitting at his left and his right were not trying to guard him, they were trying to console him. Before Arthur could even say the words he knew what was coming.

"Merlin, I can't make magic legal. It's too early. The people…"

Arthur said some more but Merlin didn't hear it any longer. Even though he had kind of expected this announcement it still hurt, more than he could say. He let his shoulders slump and tried to calm his raging emotions by taking some deep breaths. Gwen was looking at him unhappily and even Arthur seemed sorry for a moment, before he pulled himself up to his full kingly height and added in a serious voice: "But these laws aren't set in stone. Up until now they have been necessary, but who knows what the future brings. Things still might change."

Merlin looked up, surprised. He scanned Arthur's face and discovered the hint of a smile. He tried to smile back but didn't really succeed. "Yeah, that's for the best."

He wanted to get up when a little self-conscious cough interrupted him. Alena, Gwen's maidservant, had turned up practically out of thin air and was now purposefully avoiding to look at them. "Your Highnesses, Merlin," she curtsied and Merlin felt, despite everything, a bit amused by the situation. He was aware what an odd picture the three of them were making right now.

"The steward has requested your presence, my lady. Apparently it's a matter of urgency," Alena said, now clearly addressing Gwen and obviously having decided to ignore the queerness of the situation.  
Gwen nodded and got up without any hesitation. "Well, if it's a matter of urgency," she sighed in a mock dramatic fashion before following her maid out of the garden. Merlin chuckled a little when he watched her leave. Gwen was still Gwen after all.

However, that left him and Arthur alone. They sat in silence before the king finally broke the recurring tension. "Are you angry?" he asked.  
Merlin shook his head. "No, I kinda expected it. It would have been too easy anyway."  
He sent a strained smile in Arthur's direction but couldn't help wringing his hands absent-mindedly while doing so.  
Arthur sighed. "Then why didn't you turn up this morning?" He was looking at him now with a measuring gaze, a frown on his forehead. "You didn't think I would do anything to you, did you?"

"What?! No! I – I overslept and wasn't sure if I was still…" Merlin gestured between them but Arthur understood.  
"So you decided to not turn up at all? Merlin, you're really the laziest and most incompetent servant I ever had." Arthur thwacked him over the head in mock exasperation.  
"Hey! I told you, I did turn up eventually but you weren't there! Not my fault you think council meetings are more important." He rubbed the side of his head and pulled a face.

"I was talking about the morning! Or are you trying to tell me you were having a lay-in for half of the day?!" When Merlin didn't answer and only gave him a sheepish grin instead, Arthur looked a bit scandalized. "Really Merlin, what's wrong with you?" Arthur shook his head in disbelief but Merlin simply shrugged and refrained from saying any more. Arthur already thought him an idiot, so there was no need to confirm his suspicions. Silence settled between them and Merlin leaned back to listened the sounds of the crickets chirping, trying to let the tension drain from his body. Next to him he could feel Arthur watching.

"Did you have another nightmare?" Arthur asked in a softer voice.  
Instinctively Merlin wanted to shake his head and say no but then he remembered that he had actually sworn to himself to be more truthful to Arthur and his friends.  
"Maybe," he admitted meekly and sat up a bit straighter again. "I don't remember properly. I certainly didn't sleep very well. But it doesn't matter, it's nothing."

"It's not nothing!" Arthur all back to his booming self grabbed his shoulder and shook it. "If this has anything to do with magic, Merlin, then… then…" He stared at him with a resolute intensity in his blue eyes but deflated quickly when he noticed that he couldn't finish the sentence.  
"There's nothing you can do, Arthur." Merlin said softly while peeling himself out of Arthur's grip.

"Then _you_ should do something about it." Arthur sounded frustrated but also determined. It made Merlin wonder if maybe he had a point, if there really was something he had neglected to take into consideration so far.  
"I'll have a look into it," he thus conceded to promise.  
"Do that! Ask Gaius, or whatever the two of you are normally up to."  
Arthur got up a bit more abruptly than necessary but it was obvious to Merlin that his intended austerity was actually concern. So Merlin nodded like the good compliant servant he was not but really meant to do as Arthur said – at least for the moment.

"Merlin, if this turns out to be any kind of side effect of what you pacted with the Sidhe, then you'll undo it immediately."  
"What?!No!" Merlin was on his feet at once, staring into Arthur's stern face. "It has nothing to do with the Sidhe, I swear!"

Arthur gave him a raised eyebrow. "Well, let's hope that's true, but you yourself told me that magic always comes at a price." With that he turned around and started walking towards the castle and leaving a baffled Merlin behind.

* * *

Arthur couldn't sleep. It was too hot and he had too many thoughts on his head. So he tossed and turned but it didn't get any better.  
He had seen Gwen before retiring and they had discussed the situation with Merlin and the council some more but didn't come to a more useful conclusion than before. Initially Arthur had felt a bit offended – not that he would ever admit it – when his wife had confessed she knew about his manservant's secret too. It had made him feel left out, like he was the only one who couldn't be trusted, but Gwen's assurance that it was only the battle of Camlann that had opened her eyes was enough to put his mind at ease once more, at least for the moment.  
She seemed by far less concerned about the whole situation anyway. She always smiled when she patted his hand and said things like "But it's Merlin" and "He has always been special". Arthur could only nod at that. Of course, he had noticed it too that there was something about Merlin. He would have opted to call it "peculiar" not "special" though, but in the end it was all the same, wasn't it.

Arthur ran a hand over his face and stared at the canopy of his bed. Then, without much further ado, he pushed back the blanket and got up. It was pointless to stay in bed when he felt utterly restless, some movement would do him good. So he slipped into a light tunic and pair of trousers that was normally reserved for indoors and left his chambers. The guards outside startled when he passed them but he waved them to stand at ease with a wordless movement of his hand.

The corridors were deserted at this hour; he only saw the occasional, lonely patrols making their rounds. They never said anything, only nodded in acknowledgment and let him pass. In a way they didn't appear fully awake either. Arthur pursed his lips and wondered if that should alert him but decided that it was something to think about tomorrow. He only fully realised where his feet had led him when he was standing in front of the entry to the crypt. The doors were closed as he hadn't been down here in quite a while. After the incident with his father's ghost he hadn't really felt the need to come and visit Uther as often as he had before. Actually, he hadn't come since he had blown the horn.

Arthur sighed and pushed the heavy doors open. He took the lit torch and started following the dark tunnel that led to the kings of Camelot's last resting place. His steps echoed loudly from the walls and the now much cooler air made him shiver. For a moment the image of a really scared-looking Merlin, cowering behind him, crossed his mind and made him smirk. Yes, were Merlin here with him, he would most certainly be complaining about how creepy and scary all of this was, clinging to Arthur like some girl. Arthur could only shake his head. Most powerful sorcerer in history, as if.

However, even Arthur couldn't help a violent flinch when there suddenly was a noise that most definitely didn't come from him. He stopped dead in his track and listened. It sounded a bit like someone sobbing but he couldn't be sure, maybe it was just… the wind?  
He threw another glance back while continuing down his path and promptly stumbled over his own feet. He caught the fall but felt quite embarrassed about it. It was really lucky that he had come here alone, nobody needed to see the king of Camelot behaving like a frightened idiot.

He huffed and wiped the cooled sweat of his forehead. This was ridiculous because he actually knew for certain there were no ghosts down here. _There could be something else though_, his mind not very helpfully supplied. For a moment he regretted not having brought a weapon but then abandoned the thought quickly. He was nearing the mausoleum, and Arthur was grateful that the drapes and banners hanging from the walls here soothed the drumming echo of his footsteps.

He pushed open the iron gate separating him from the chamber. The screeching noise made him wince and he stared at the hinges resentfully. He should really have them oiled.  
And while his thoughts still dwelled on that, he registered a movement. Out of the corner of his eye he had seen someone… or something, he wasn't sure. It was like the afterimage of something he knew used to be there but no longer was. He stared at the darkness but apart from the flickering shadows his torch created he was the only living being here.  
Arthur shook his head and decided that he had definitely had had too much nonsense in the last few days. It was messing with his head. So he followed the neat line of crypts to the newest one, that of king Uther Pendragon. Before he approached it, he left the torch in the holder though. It all had a rather ritualistic character. He would stand there first, regard the stone counterpart of his father, then he would step closer, slowly, reach out his hand and finally touch it. As always it was cool under his fingers and as always Arthur wondered why that was.

A sad smile spread over his features. His father had been gone for almost five years now, yet sometimes his loss still felt as fresh and raw as the first day. Arthur let his hand wander until it rested on the statues shoulder. He didn't need to ask himself what Uther would be doing were he in his place right now.

_Have them all executed_

Merlin, Gaius and even Gwen. They all would be burning at the stake, every protest of goodwill or innocence unheard or suffocated before it could even be properly formulated. His father wouldn't be having this kind of emotional conflict. But Arthur didn't need to debate over this fact. He knew he wasn't his father. He didn't want to harm these people, even if he could practically hear his father's voice saying that he was under some kind of spell and the sorcerers were secretly overrunning Camelot. Arthur tried to imagine Merlin scheming and pulling all the strings in the background, all the while cackling like some lunatic. It didn't work. Merlin was... well, an idiot and apparently also a lot cleverer than he let on but he had known that before.

Arthur sighed and put both his hands on the frame of Uther's stony resting place, holding himself upright. He stared into empty space, wondering what to do. Could he really make magic legal? After everything his father had taught him and Morgana had done? He knew neither was a beacon of righteousness but thinking of them as nothing more as mad tyrants was something he just couldn't bring himself to do. They were the only family he had ever had, each standing at an opposing end of the spectrum. He knew that the middle way was probably the only one he could take but the thought of magic still made him nervous – and that Merlin was somehow out of it since the lake business wasn't exactly helping.

He balled his fists. If this turned out to be some huge plot by… by Morgana (who might or might not be dead after all) or the Sidhe or magic itself, he would really kill them all! He couldn't handle these games any longer; he was just so fed up with all of this. He banged his fist against the hard stone and regretted it immediately. Grimacing he took a step back, mentally scolding himself. This was one of these moments he really would have liked to have Merlin around. The one without the secrets.

He was almost at the point to say goodbye to his father for this night, when he noticed it again. The movement in the corner of eye, the figure that was there but wasn't. Arthur stared at the pillar where he was sure he had seen someone standing. The silhouette of a person dressed in a long cloak. He wasn't sure if it had only been a trick of the light but for a moment he would have sworn the cloak was red.  
He stared and stared but there was nobody, only the grey pillar in the half-light and the long shadows the fire of the torch produced. He took a deep breath and decided it was high time to get back into bed. He was seeing things that weren't there, or maybe they were but that would've been even more unsettling. So he left the crypt quickly, not looking back when his steps carried him through the tunnel and back into the more familiar halls of Camelot castle.

* * *

He didn't sleep well, that's why Merlin's by far too grating "rise and shine" mostly made him groan and turn to the other side. He could feel his manservant wrestling with his blanket and trying to pull it out of his grasp. Arthur groaned some more but let him. It was pointless anyway, he had to get up, and at least Merlin was here and enough of his usual annoying self to dare to kick the king of Camelot out of bed. He thought almost made him grin, almost.

He heard the clatter of a plate and dragged himself upright. "Merlin, do you have to be so loud?"

"If I wasn't loud, you would never get up, sire."  
This time he really couldn't suppress a smile, so he let Merlin pull his nightshirt over his head in his usual care- and graceless fashion and was almost happy when he felt a tunic thrown at him.  
"You're a bit late today, sire. That's why I would advise to skip the training with the knights and go straight for the petitions," Merlin babbled while practically shoving Arthur in his chair at the table where his breakfast was waiting for him.

"What? Why would I possibly skip the training with the knights? It's a king's duty to be always up to date with the strength of his men." Arthur retorted sourly while cutting into the ham on his plate. That the training with the knights was also the most enjoyable part of his day was one of these unspoken facts both of them knew about, so he was a bit disgruntled that Merlin would even suggest ditching it.

"Well, mostly because it started an hour ago."

"What?!" Arthur set down the fork and the knife with a clank, making Merlin wince, "then why didn't you wake me, you oaf?"  
"I might be a bit late today, too," Merlin admitted, and after a too long pause added, "sire."

Arthur took a deep breath and turned around, mentally preparing himself to lecture Merlin on his uselessness - preferably in a rather loud manner - but the first proper look at his manservant made his anger drain immediately. Merlin had dark circles under his eyes and generally appeared rather ashen, the perfect image of a night that must have been even worse than Arthur's. So the king restricted himself to a scowl and a grumbled: "Another bad night?"

Merlin nodded but avoided Arthur's gaze.

"Well, that makes two of us then." Arthur pushed the plate away, his appetite gone, and got up. He didn't want to ask Merlin if he had had another nightmare because the proof of that was plainly written on his face but the last two times he had tried to inquire about it Merlin had put him off and Arthur was more than fed up with that. If his stupid manservant wanted to deal with his problem on his own, all the better! It didn't bother him, not at all!

He went over to the screen and put on the rest of his cloths. Without looking back he left his chambers but heard Merlin trailing after him. Normally his manservant would prattle on about something but today the only noise was the scuffle of the latter's feet. Arthur almost felt tempted to scold him for it but before he could really bring himself to say the words they had already arrived at the big doors of the throne room. Arthur pushed the thought aside and entered.

A rather large crowd was already gathered there and the usual buzzing broke out when he crossed with long strides. Arthur knew the drill of the hearings, so there was no big surprise when the first petitioner turned out to be a farmer complaining about the lack of labour force because many young men were still absent from the villages. Arthur told him the same things he had told the people of Thennos, that the soldiers would soon return home and that he should come again if the situation didn't improve.  
The second was a merchant complaining about another merchant, who apparently didn't have the necessary warrant to sell his products – the same as the complaining merchant, of course. Arthur promised to send a guard to look into it. The third was a baker complaining about the council's decision to have rye planted instead of barley. Arthur ignored him but the general complaining continued. After the eighth, who thought it necessary to point out that the ale in a tavern with the sounding name _The Singing Goatherd_ was watered down so much it didn't deserve to be called ale anymore, Arthur really had to suppress the urge to massage his temples. Why were people complaining so much? And the sullen voice in his head wanted to add 'why were they complaining so much _to __him_?' But he knew the answer to that – he was the king. When he had still been a boy he would never have guessed that the cheap drink in some dive was any of his business but apparently it was. Actually becoming king had been a rather drastic wake up call, so Arthur listened, advised, promised and decreed whatever he could but at the same time had the lingering suspicion that his father might have used the whole prosecution of magic issue as a pretext to not die of boredom. Fighting sorcerers was certainly more interesting than this.

Behind him Merlin shifted and Arthur immediately felt guilty. He threw a quick glance in his direction but saw the corners of Merlin's mouth twitch. Apparently his manservant thought the situation funny. Well maybe it was… a little bit. Arthur relaxed on his throne and listened to some more complaining and general nonsense until a young woman stepped forward. She looked quite ordinary but there was a glint of something in her eyes that made Arthur wary.

"Your Majesty," she began, trouble already palpable in the air, "I'm here today to accuse Glinda the barmaid of sorcery."

The room fell dead silent and Arthur cursed inwardly. Sorcery – the word alone – was still such a red rag, he really hoped he was keeping up a good front. With a deliberately calm voice he answered:  
"Do you have any proof for this accusation? You know it's a serious one."

She nodded and started rummaging through her pockets until she drew up something that looked like a dirty poultice. Arthur frowned. "Explain."

"I found this under my brother's pillow. He and Glinda have been involved for a while and I always wondered what he wanted with her, she's such an unsightly, clumsy woman and he could do so much better. So when I found this it was clear to me that she must have enchanted him."

Arthur nodded and extended his hand. The girl stepped up to him, about to place the poultice in his opened palm when Arthur casually added: "I'll have an expert look into it."  
And then it happened; she hesitated. It was only the blink of an eye but she had hesitated before she had let go the poultice and let it slip into his hand.  
"Aren't you going to arrest her?" she asked instead, sounding quite a bit more insecure now.

"We are, once your accusation proves correct."

A muffled whisper went through the crowd. Apparently they were as surprised as the girl, who had turned a bit white around the edges. Arthur knew that his father would immediately have sent a bunch of guards to fetch the alleged sorceress, but this stank by far too much of slander. So he rather observed as the girl shrank more and more into herself.  
"But what if she enchants someone else in the meantime?" she tried to argue weakly.

"You hinted that she has a romantic interest in your brother, so I dare to doubt that this interest will shift to somebody else within the next few hours."  
He held the poultice out to Merlin, who took it from him wordlessly. "Take it to our… expert," Arthur ordered in a low voice while his and Merlin's gaze met for a moment. He saw warmth there and a silent gratitude before the sorcerer averted his eyes and broke the contact.

Merlin hurried off and Arthur focused on the young woman again.  
"What's your name, girl?"

"Moira, Your Majesty."

"Well, Moira," Arthur leant forward, giving her his best fake smile, "until the situation is cleared up you are to stay here. For your own safety, to protect you from potential retaliatory acts the sorceress might take against you."

He saw the girl flinch but waved the guards over nonetheless. "Take her to the west tower."  
The west tower was what the knights playfully called 'the dungeon for ladies'. It had relatively high ceilings, windows and even some sparse furniture. In general, it didn't immediately evoke the idea of a prison, and when its inmates weren't the brightest they never actually noticed it was. So Arthur didn't feel particularly bad for locking someone up there. His father had had people sent to the dungeons for less. _He_ had had people sent to the dungeon for less.

So he took a deep breath and observed with a certain smugness that the next person to bring forward a petition looked far more reluctant and humble.

"Sire," the man began slowly. He was middle-aged but had barely any hair left on his head. His look was generally more one of poverty and he nervously shifted from one foot to the other while he held a little brown cap in his hands. Arthur immediately felt bad for frightening the people and sighed inwardly. He gestured for the man to continue, who apparently really felt encouraged enough to take a step closer to the throne.

"Sire", he began again, "I'm here on behalf of my son. He's a stable boy, you might even have met him, his name's Owen." Arthur listened attentively. He didn't remember any stable boy with that name but he, admittedly, seldom bothered to ask.  
"He's been missing since yesterday and when I tried to ask the guards for their help, they fended me off saying I needed to petition to the king first. So here I am." The man made a helpless gesture but Arthur nodded thoughtfully. It wasn't really that surprising for a young lad to be absent for a few days without telling his parents. Arthur had done so a few times himself – which might have resulted in search parties and shouting matches with his father, but he had always been alright – so it was probably nothing but he still felt he needed to give the man the chance to speak.

"When was the last time you saw him?" he asked.

"During the parting ceremony for the fallen knights. We attended like good citizens, the whole family was there. But Owen went to the tavern afterwards, said he wanted to wash down the gloom with some ale. And that's the last we saw of him, never came home afterwards." The man was obviously fighting back tears, his shoulders shaking while his gaze was stoically fixed on the floor.  
"He's a good boy, sire. Responsible. Our first born. He knows we worry when he doesn't come home."

Arthur regarded the man for a moment. "Very well," he muttered more to himself, before searching the gaze of his head of guard. They exchanged a barely visible nod. Sir Leon immediately stepped forward and bowed when Arthur addressed him directly: "Choose two or three men you can spare to help this good citizen with the search for his son."  
The man started to babble surprised yet overjoyed thank yous while Arthur and Leon exchanged another meaningful look that implied as much as _keep me updated_. Leon only nodded before stalking off with the still bowing and thanking man in tow. Arthur felt like this had been the first really important decision he made today.

"This is the last petition," he announced in a voice he hoped sounded grave. He really had enough for the next month or so. He should have stopped after the watered down ale.

An old woman came forward and Arthur could feel his face turn into a grimace when he recognized her. Moll, Camelot's infamous madwoman. That was really what he needed to end this already very headache-inducing round of petitions. He pinched the bridge of his nose and the collective groan from the crowd that followed her sluggish steps seemed to indicate that he wasn't the only one who thought this was a waste of time. Someone even had the guts to yell: "Go home, Moll!" but Arthur demanded silence with a simple flick of his wrist.

"Arthur," she began and he raised an eyebrow in mild indignation. Since Moll had amused (and annoyed) Camelot and her people with nonsense stories of pixies stealing her smallclothes and goblins living in the library for years now, people generally knew it was pointless to take offence with her. At least she knew he wasn't his father. That could be considered a plus point for her mental state. So Arthur signalled for her to continue, wondering a bit at himself why he put up with this.

"There are ghosts roaming the citadel," she said in an eerily cheerful voice, her wild, white hair sticking in every direction while her gaze was focused on a spot somewhere to the left of him. She was staring at it so intently that Arthur was actually tempted to turn and check if something was there. Only he knew there wasn't, so he opted instead to grin and bear it. "Well, as long as they don't do anything, we don't mind ghosts."

She started giggling, still staring at the spot. "That's good. Because they're not going away. They're here to stay." She swayed a little. The guards were already approaching, about to take the madwoman away but Arthur put a temporary stop to it with his raised hand.

"Is there something else you wish to say?"  
For a moment she kept silent, just staring instead. Then her head turned, very slowly she focused on Arthur, her watery eyes so pale that he could feel a shiver running down his back.

"The lady Morgana says she's sorry."

The room was so silent one would probably have been able to hear a needle drop. Arthur stared at her, utterly speechless before the realisation of what she had just said got the better of him and he rose in a shout: "Out with her! Take her and her madness away before it infects somebody else!"  
The guards immediately complied and grabbed to woman's arms, dragging her away. The crowd quickly shuffled out too because it was never good to get too close to an enraged Pendragon.

* * *

"I heard you had a run-in with Moll," Merlin said as casually as possible while putting the plate in front of Arthur. The king grunted, not bothering to look up from the papers he was going through.

"I didn't even know she was still around. It's been years since she last petitioned. If I remember correctly she wanted Uther to change the colour of the banners from red to green because red attracted Weevils."

Arthur scowled at him but Merlin just grinned and nodded towards the plate. "Eat, it gets cold."  
"You don't tell me what to do. I'm the king, Merlin." He put the papers away though.  
"If you need to stress time and time again that you are, you can't be very good at it." Merlin winked and went on bustling about the room. Arthur threw a napkin at him.

"Have you gone soft, sire? You used to beat me with spoons," Merlin teased, prancing out of the line of fire.

"Merlin."

"Shut up?"

Arthur held up his fork threateningly but there was mirth playing in his eyes. Merlin smirked and picked up the napkin. So when Arthur started picking at his lunch there was an easy peace between them.  
"Do you think Moll's a sorceress?" he asked after shoving the first slice of meat in.  
Merlin shook his head. "Nah, she's just an old lunatic. Not every crazy person is a sorcerer," and after he had walked back over to Arthur he added, "not every sorcerer is crazy." He put the napkin back on the table.

Arthur huffed. "You try to make me believe that."  
Merlin raised an eyebrow and demonstratively stole a grape from Arthur's plate.  
The king sent him a disapproving glare but then set the cutlery down, a more earnest stance in his bearing now. "What about Morgana? Could it be possible that she's… still here somehow?"

"I don't know," Merlin admitted, his voice not giving away much emotion though. "I killed her and burned her body afterwards, so she's dead for sure. But her spirit is another issue." [1]

"So she might be haunting us?" Arthur sounded almost a bit alarmed now, his shoulders going tense. Merlin shrugged and tried to lean casually against the table. "I doubt it. Our previous experience with ghosts showed that they need to be called or released in some way, and as far as I know neither of us did that."

"But…"  
Merlin placed a hand on Arthur's shoulder. "I'm actually pretty sure Morgana's gone for good and Moll's just a crazy old hag. You know once – when I was pretty new in Camelot – she even told me that the blue of my skin brought out my golden eyes magnificently. So do you really want to base your opinion on that?" He threw Arthur a lopsided grin, who still looked a bit edgy but gradually relaxed back into his chair. He nodded. "Yeah, you're right. It's just… with all the magic recently I was…"

Merlin nodded in return. "I know. I'm sorry for making things difficult." His gaze drifted to the window, grin gone and gaze much more thoughtful now. Arthur nudged him.  
"Don't go all moody on me again. I've had enough of your girly antics this morning." He flipped another grape into the air, relying on Merlin to catch it.

"You seemed livelier until now."

Merlin shrugged and put the grape into his mouth. "Actually, I had a pretty good time after you sent me away. I could go to the tavern." Arthur tried to kick his shin but Merlin held up his hands in a defensive gesture. "Glinda's tavern, you ass!"

He pulled out the chair next to Arthur and brought out the poultice again before sitting down.  
"This," he gestured to the dirty cloth, "consists of coriander, parsley, dandelion leaves, some ground pepper corns and hazelnuts. Oh, and not to forget the mud and the horse dung."  
The expectant look on Merlin's face was met by one of incomprehension on Arthur's.  
Merlin rolled his eyes. "That's kitchen ingredients and what you find on every meadow. That has nothing to do with magic, dollophead. Even you should know that."  
Arthur's indignant huff couldn't really hide the slight blush covering his cheeks. "That's not my division," he retorted grumpily.

"Anyway," Merlin continued, "I went down to the _Faux Hare_ where Glinda works to get a first-hand impression of her, and she…. well, let's say the description wasn't entirely accurate."  
Arthur raised a questioning eyebrow at that.

"She's certainly not of the petite kind. But she has the curves in all the right places to make the patrons take to her well enough." Merlin painted an exaggerated hourglass shape into the air.  
"She also seemed good-natured and friendly. A bit loud and clumsy too, but it all has a rather pleasant ring to it. So personally, I'd lean towards saying that this woman is in no need of magically enhancing her charms. Or at least not for the patrons of the Hare."

Arthur rubbed his chin and nodded. "Yes, that's what I thought. The accusations sounded a bit too convenient to be true. But that still doesn't explain why Moira would commit perjury. It's a serious crime."  
Merlin shrugged, his fingers absent-mindedly trailing the structure lines of the table's surface. "I overheard Glinda saying that she and Moira's brother want to get married in a month's time. So maybe Moira disapproves and saw no other way than that to thwart the wedding."

"If he wasn't her brother, I'd say this sounds like the corny love-triangle story told by a provincial bard." Arthur's patronizing laughter fell short, when he noticed Merlin's still rather serious expression. "Maybe it is," he said in a soft voice.

"But they're siblings!"

Merlin shrugged again, a bit amused over Arthur's shocked expression. "I have no proof of that. I only know that the poultice was a fake and that the barmaid is far from as uncomely as told."  
And after a pause he added, "I think we need to talk to Moira again. It's good you made sure she's available but don't you think the west tower is a bit extreme?"

Now it was Arthur's turn to shrug. "She falsely accused another woman of sorcery, knowing it might result in the latter's execution. That's as good as manslaughter."  
"Camelot hasn't executed any sorcerers over petty crimes like this in years." Merlin retorted however avoiding to look directly at Arthur.

"Yes. I guess that's thanks to you."  
"I have an eye on things." Arthur nodded and Merlin's fingers were still quite busy examining the wood underneath them. After a moment of silence Arthur broke the arising tension though by saying: "I mostly incarcerated her because the lying annoyed me." That already succeeded in making Merlin wince but Arthur continued, "I'm really fed up with constantly being lied to. Do you people really think that I'm that daft?" and a bit softer he added, "That untrustworthy?"

"Arthur, I…"  
But Arthur didn't let him finish, instead he grabbed Merlin's wrist over the table and pinned it in place. "The lying has to stop, Merlin. Understood? Because otherwise, I swear, I'll have you flogged. Publically! And I'll do it myself!"

Merlin stared, rendered speechless for a moment. The place where Arthur held on to his arm felt extremely warm right now and the pressure of the blood pumping through his veins was almost palpable. Merlin swallowed and forced a cheeky grin on his face when he retorted, "you know, Arthur, if you wanted me topless at your mercy you only needed to say so."

Arthur let go of him immediately and rolled his eyes, so Merlin hurried to add: "I promise! I won't lie anymore; I'll tell you everything you ask to know."

"Everything I ask to know? What about the things I don't ask about?"  
Merlin swallowed. This new Arthur was really much more perceptive.  
"Some things are too much, even for me."

Arthur huffed but nodded eventually. "Then I guess I have to ask the right questions, don't I? You never had the habit of making things easy for me."  
It wasn't what Merlin had expected but the self-deprecatorygrin on Arthur's face said everything.  
"You would get bored if it was easy."

The laughter that followed was surprisingly honest and made Merlin feel a bit lighter again.

"So let's start with a simple question then. You said the poultice is a fake but it would actually be possible to make someone fall in love this way, wouldn't it?"

That was another question Merlin hadn't seen coming but apparently Arthur's interest in magic was another thing he had to get used to. So it took him a moment to answer with a tentative "I guess."

"You guess? If you only guess than what is your judgement based upon?"  
"Hey! I never actually needed to make a love poultice. But I _gues__s_ it's possible."  
"If you never made one then how do you know that one," Arthur pointed to the poor, dirty thing," is a fake?"

Merlin felt his jaw drop in indignation. That Arthur questioned his skills was nothing new, but that he would assume…  
"Well, first of all, I would never make someone fall in love with me using magic. That's the lowest and I'm really not in need of such," he gestured, "tricks. I'm much more popular with the ladies than you think." He nodded to hide his pout.

"Oh, really? When was the last time you had a lady spend the night? Have you actually ever had a wo-"  
"Now that's really none of your business!" Merlin interrupted, his ears starting to feel hot.  
The dirty smirk on Arthur's face was indicator enough to know that he had tasted blood and wouldn't let him of the hook so easily. "So the rumours are true that all the high priests and priestesses of the Old Religion are virgins because it heightens their powers?"

"What?! NO! That's…." Merlin got up abruptly, his face red up to under the hair line, and hitting the chair leg in the process. "I'm not a high priest! And I'm not a virgin! Really, Arthur, what are you thinking?!"

Mostly Arthur seemed to be thinking that Merlin' bashfulness was highly amusing if his smug expression and casually propped up arm was anything to go by. His eyes roamed up and down Merlin's body as if assessing all of his existing and non-existing sexual encounters, ending in a low chuckle.

"Oh, shut up," Merlin turned away, feeling by far too exposed.

"Well, maybe Gwaine was right," Arthur said while getting up too, still smirking like an idiot of course, "and we should get you a bit more action."

"I don't need more action!" He steered towards the door. "and even if, then it would be nothing of your concern!"

* * *

Merlin still felt agitated, even though Arthur was back to playing all serious King of Camelot with his councillors. They discussed matters of state – nothing all that interesting, mostly taxation issues Merlin would have blended out if only His royal Pratness hadn't considered it necessary to place a jibe every now and then.

"The nobles of Western Essetir still refuse to pay the annual tax rate, claiming they never had to under Cenred."  
"So they're practically tax _virgins_?" Arthur positively drawled the word and Merlin wanted to kill him. He approached the table with an unreadable expression, lifting the carafe as if he was about the refill Arthur's goblet. Unfortunately, he was such a clumsy servant that the drink ended up all over the king's sleeve.  
"So sorry, sire," he babbled in mock submission and bodily shoved Arthur out of the way. "Please let me clean that up, sire."  
Arthur scowled at him but moved to the side. Maybe the minimally upturned corner of his mouth should have been a warning to Merlin.  
"I really hope that those inapt hands of yours are more skilled in other areas because otherwise I'd have to say that I'm very pessimistic about your chances of ever finding a wife."  
The councillors laughed at his expanse and Merlin pursed his mouth while he wiped the table clean. He shot Arthur a death glare when no one was looking, only to receive a very smug grin in return.

"You know me, sire. I might not be blessed with skill or intellect but the gods always give you something."  
"Well, it's certainly not the looks either." Again the councillors laughed with their king while Arthur shoved him away from the tables' head end.

Merlin retreated into the background, shooting little invisible daggers at Arthur's back.  
And while he stood there glaring, a thought occurred to him. Arthur knew…. So he could actually shoot real invisible daggers at the king. Merlin felt a very pleased smile spread over his face.  
He regarded Arthur's back and how he moved from one foot to the other, indicating things on the papers in front of him. Merlin concentrated and suddenly the king tensed. He turned around and looked at Merlin, a frown on his face. Merlin smiled innocently.  
Arthur turned back to the councillors, trying to pick up where he had left off. Merlin let him speak a few sentences before he focused on that spot above Arthur's right hip and sent a pinching notion in his direction. This time the king actually yelped and Merlin felt vindicated.

"Merlin. Come here, I think you missed a spot," Arthur sounded very pressed.

"Oh really, sire?" He scurried over obediently; fully aware that Arthur would probably find a way to punish him in equal measure, but right now the satisfaction prevailed. He smiled his most guileless smile when he came to stand next to Arthur. However, the king grabbed his neck rather brutally and pushed his head down, so his nose hovered a few centimetres above the table's surface. "There! Do you see it?"  
Merlin breathed hard. He could feel the warmth of Arthur's hand on his skin. "I'm not sure I know what you're talking about, sire." Arthur squeezed and Merlin tensed under his grip.  
"There. Right in front of you! Please don't tell me that next to stupid and clumsy you're also blind!"  
"My eyesight is in perfect condition." Merlin pressed out. He felt really quite hot now, and to make matters worse, Arthur had apparently decided to use his other hand to pinch exactly the same spot above his hip Merlin had targeted before. He had to suppress a whimper.

"I see what you mean, sire. I'll take care of it immediately." Merlin made a motion to get up and Arthur let him. The gleam in the king's eyes made it obvious that he considered himself victor of this game. For now Merlin would let him be in this belief before they entered round two, so he wiped down the table again and retreated like a good servant.

Merlin held back after that and let the councillors talk their boring business. Arthur wouldn't get away. He had to seriously suppress a yawn though when councillor Mangold stepped forward to announce he had a proclamation to make.  
Mangold was the oldest of the councillors – even older than Gaius – and by far the most boring. So when he got up, fingers treading through his thin but endlessly long white beard, Merlin mentally prepared himself for the fight to keep his eyes open.  
"It has been brought to my attention, by his brother, that young bard Taliesin has been absent from court…"

_Oh?_That certainly wasn't what Merlin had expected.

"As you all know I'm a great admirer of the arts, so the sudden disappearance of such a talented young man seemed noteworthy and it would be a true loss for the court life not to…." Arthur held up his hand, stopping Mangold in his speech.  
"Are you telling me another person has gone missing?"  
The councillor seemed confused, though more about the fact that his words could be considered misleading. "Well yes, sire. As I said, his younger brother has brought it to my attention that he didn't return from his vespertine ballad round through Camelot's inns and taverns."  
Arthur exchanged a quick glance with Merlin. Taliesin's absence was disconcerting indeed.

"So that makes two missing people in two days," Arthur mumbled more to himself, ignoring Mangold's ongoing praise of Taliesin.  
_Actually three_, Merlin supplied mentally. Brianna might not have disappeared in Camelot but she had disappeared nonetheless.

"One every night since…"

Arthur fixed him with an intense stare and Merlin felt a shiver running down his back. It was crystal-clear what Arthur was thinking. Without turning back to the councillors he dismissed them. They whispered amongst themselves as the shuffled out of the room but Arthur ignored them, his gaze still focused on Merlin, all business now.

"What's going on?" he asked when finally the last of them was gone. Merlin, however, could only shake his head. "I don't know but it seems too regular to be a coincidence." He admitted, running an unsteady hand over his upper arm.

"It most certainly is too regular." Arthur sighed deeply and started to pace. "It's as if something followed us here…from that lake." He threw Merlin a dirty look, who had to pull himself together not to flinch under it.  
"That's a bit far-fetched, don't you think?" he retorted weakly. "It doesn't necessarily need to have anything to do with… the lake." Even in his own ears that sounded lame. Arthur seemed to think so too because he just continued to walk back and forth, sporadically glaring at the papers on the table.  
Merlin felt himself swallow. He approached Arthur tentatively and very carefully touched a hand to his shoulder. "It could be anything," he said, not really believing either.  
Arthur only raised an eyebrow and shook his head wordlessly. Something akin to pain was reflected in his eyes.

"When's that ever the case?"

He slipped out of Merlin's grasp and unrolled a map showing Camelot and the surrounding areas. Merlin observed quietly as Arthur set three markers on top of the map, two directly within the capital, on more to the northwest. Merlin understood.

"So what do you want to do then?"

Arthur didn't look up, instead his gaze flickered between the two locations, assessing them.  
"Until now, we only know of one thing these three people have in common."

"They were all unfortunate enough to meet us?" Merlin deadpanned, however wearing a very cautious expression. Arthur rolled his eyes. "Apart from that, idiot!"  
But Merlin could only shrug and shook his head in confusion, not getting what the king was aiming at.  
"They all disappeared from taverns, dimwit! So that's where we are going to start."

"So youwant to go to the tavern with me?"

End of chapter

[1] We never got to see what Merlin did to Morgana's body after he killed her, so I made that up because it seemed a bit too undignified – even if Morgana was his nemesis – for Merlin to just leave her for the animals.


	4. Chapter 3

**Warning for mild D/s  
**

Chapter 3

He hadn't dressed up as a girl as Arthur had suggested. Instead he rubbed the stubble on his chin with a little grin and continued his stroll down the alley to _The Rising Sun_. Merlin was really quite proud of himself since even he would have failed to recognize the ginger man that stared back at him in the blurry reflection of the windows he passed. It certainly had some advantages that Arthur knew of his secret now.

He entered the Sun with a smirk on his face and felt truly vindicated when the only thing he got from the patrons, most of which actually knew Merlin, were some suspicious looks. He spotted Arthur on the other side of the taproom, wearing a hood so low into his face it made him stand out all the more. Inconspicuousness probably went against his royal blood.  
Merlin couldn't suppress a grin when he approached, inwardly preparing for Arthur's confusion over who he might be. He even toyed with the thought of not revealing himself immediately and greeting Arthur instead with some sultry _hello stranger_ line that would have made Gwaine proud.

Arthur spoilt his fun though in getting up instantly when saw Merlin.  
"Well well, someone has put quite some effort into this." He gave Merlin a once-over but then nodded in agreement.

"How do you even know it's me?" Merlin asked, unable to hide his astonishment.  
"Don't be ridiculous, Merlin. I would recognize your eyes anywhere." After a pause he added, "I even recognized you when you were like a hundred years old, only you denied it."

Merlin gave a _fair enough_ nod then took a step closer to Arthur.  
"So what's the plan? Do we just wait here until something happens or do we patrol the back allies?" he asked in a lowered voice.

"Actually, we do both."

Merlin raised his eyebrows questioningly.

"We wait here until someone that fits the profile leaves, then we follow them and see what happens."

Merlin's eyebrows wouldn't lower. "There is a profile?"

"Of course there is," something in Arthur's expression told him that now would normally be one of these moments he was thwacked over the head but apparently his altered appearance seemed intimidating enough to forego the habit. "Haven't you noticed? All people abducted, Brianna included, were young adults, more or less good-looking and firstborn."

"Firstborn?"

"Well, in Brianna's case I'm guessing but the missing stable hand and Taliesin certainly are."  
Merlin rubbed his chin – the stubble was a bit obstructive now, he had to admit – but Arthur had a point. Sometimes he forgot the man wasn't in all cases as blind as in his own.

"It could be a coincidence," he argued even though he had mentally already accepted the point.  
"Nah, it's not. Wasn't there something about fairies and firstborns?" Arthur grinned a cheeky grin, obviously very sure of himself and his deduction, so Merlin could only frown.  
"Didn't we agree the connection with the Sidhe was farfe…"

Arthur abruptly signalled to be silent, his gaze glued to a spot somewhere behind them. Merlin slowly turned around and spotted Jonas. The young man was about to leave the tavern, saying his goodbyes to his friends and waving at the owner behind the counter.  
"Isn't he a bit too old?" Merlin whispered. Arthur only shrugged and started moving as soon as Jonas had reached the door. "It's worth a shot."

Jonas was the new blacksmith that had taken over the forge of Gwen's father, once she had finally brought herself to sell it. So the way to Jonas's home was no big mystery and Arthur and Merlin were able to keep a decent amount of distance between themselves and their target. Still, Arthur insisted that they had to stay within sight.  
It was probably their lack of talk and the by far too purposeful way of walking that made Jonas turn around and throw them a distrustful look. Merlin elbowed Arthur. "Great, now he thinks we want to rob him." Jonas hastened his steps.  
"It's not my fault you look so suspicious," Arthur retorted through gritted teeth.  
"Me? Who wears the hood that screams shady business? Certainly not me."  
"Well, you are ginger!" he gestured towards Merlin's face as if that explained everything but mostly resulted in making the latter gape. "What's wrong with being ginger? It's a very nice hair colour, actually, and…"

"Shut up, Merlin," Arthur interrupted, "we're losing him."  
"We know where he lives!" Merlin made an exasperated gesture into the direction Jonas had disappeared.

The bickering continued but they arrived at the corner just in time to see the young blacksmith enter his house and closing the door right behind him.  
"Well, that was fruitful," Merlin tried not to sound too narky but failed.  
"It's never the first one you try," Arthur retorted but couldn't fully hide his resentment either.

"And now? What do we do? Go back to the Sun and wait for another one fitting the profile?" Merlin especially stressed the word _profile_ but Arthur ignored him and ran a hand through his fringe under the hood. Merlin knew it was a sign of him being tense since he had seen it often enough on the other man. That's why he took a deep breath and said in a much more civil tone: "Maybe it would be better if we waited outside. People already saw us in there, it would be weird to go back now."

Arthur nodded and began to trudge back into the tavern's direction. As his luck went, Merlin came to regret his proposal before they even arrived there. Big raindrops began to fall from the night sky and had him soaked within minutes. Merlin cursed inwardly and suddenly envied Arthur for his coat – not that he would ever have admitted that. The smug smile on the king's face made it clear enough though that he knew exactly what his manservant was thinking right now. "Not so shady business anymore, what?"

Merlin answered with a sardonic expression and crossed his arms.  
"Still shady and utterly over the top. If I may say so."

"You may not," countered a grinning Arthur while the rain pattered on his big hood, and Merlin couldn't help but grin along. Despite the ridiculousness of the whole situation it felt kind of nice to do this together. He had been afraid that the rift between them would be deeper but as things were now it actually felt as if they would be able to manage. There were, of course, still a myriad of secrets he hadn't dared to tell Arthur about yet but there was this new knowledge that it might be possible. And that was exciting and horrifying at the same time.

"You know," Merlin said while casually rubbing his cold upper arms, "I could have done the same for you." Arthur shot him a questing look.

"Enchant you, change your appearance so you wouldn't need to hide your face," Merlin clarified.

The answer took a breath too long. "So both of us freeze to death out here? I don't think so."  
Arthur snickered but Merlin could see right through him. He lowered his gaze and felt a rivulet of water running down his neck and right into his collar. He shivered and mentally scolded himself for being foolish.

"Maybe we should go in. Standing in front of an inn while the rain is coming down in sheets sounds much more suspicious in my ears than going in for shelter," Arthur said. Merlin nodded in silent agreement, feeling the clamminess of his skin very prominently at that very moment.

They stumbled in and for once didn't elicit any kind of special attention. Well, even Arthur was allowed to be right every once in a while. Merlin wiped the wet hair out of his forehead, his clothes already sticking to his body in the tavern's hot and humid air. Grumpily he jogged to the counter, ordering ale for himself and purposefully ignoring Arthur, who had followed him with a frown on his face.  
"We're here to investigate, not to get drunk," Arthur muttered under his breath.  
"I'm allowed to have one drink, that won't get me inebriated."  
Arthur's frown didn't vanish. "Are you sure about that?"  
Merlin ignored him and took the tankard, aiming for the dark corner where mister master-of-blending-in had sat before. He heard Arthur sigh behind him.

"Are you angry because I refused your offer?" Arthur asked when they were seated again, his gaze glued to Merlin, who, for his part, stared at the liquor right in front of him.  
"I'm not drinking because I'm angry," Merlin retorted but had to admit that he sounded irritable even in his own ears. "I'm drinking because that's what you do in a place like the Sun." He demonstratively lifted the tankard to his lips, downing almost half of its contents.

"I don't think that's a good idea."  
"Well," he put the beaker down with a clank. The traitorous words _I don't care what you think_ were lurking on the tip of his tongue, just waiting to be spoken, but he swallowed them down and instead pressed an "I'm cold, I need to get warmed up" out with a forced grin.

Arthur rolled his eyes. "Now that made you sound like Gwaine."

Merlin hesitated before he took another gulp. "I miss Gwaine," he admitted, his anger evaporated as quickly as it had come. Arthur gave a little nod, "I miss him too."

Merlin barely registered when Arthur raised a hand to order another round of drinks, this time for both of them.  
"I thought you didn't condone drinking while on a mission?" he asked with now much more honest teasing in his voice.  
"I don't. But this is not an official mission and unlike someone else here," he shot Merlin a pointed look, "I'm actually able to hold my liquor." Merlin huffed but felt himself relax a bit more on his bench. He was warmer now, inside and out. His head was even a bit fuzzy but there was no need to say that out loud.

He scanned the room. There were more people here now than during their first stake-out, but he blamed that on the weather. It also was so stuffy that Merlin could have been fooled into believing the room had fogged up.  
"What do you think of that one?" he nodded into the direction of a lad, drunkenly leaning on the counter in a futile attempt to woe one of the serving wenches.  
Arthur seemed to give it a thought but then shook his head. "Not a firstborn."

"How do you know?"

Arthur leaned in conspiratorially as if he was about to reveal a big secret to him and bid Merlin to come closer. A little shiver spread through him from the patch of skin where their arms touched and Merlin decided that now was either the moment to stop drinking or to down another tankard. He opted for the latter.  
"It's the girl's reaction," Arthur explained in a very matter of fact voice, while his face was only centimetres away from Merlin's. "If he was a firstborn she might not be so averse to his advances."

It took him a moment to register what Arthur had said but then Merlin rolled his eyes and leaned back once more. "Money's not the only thing girls care for," he reprimanded and crossed his arms in front of his chest.  
"Certainly not all girls. But if you are a serving wench in _The Rising Sun_ and make most of your money by having a good cleavage and smiling at drunk idiots, you don't go for the second born."

Merlin pursed his lips in dislike but had to admit that Arthur might have a point there. So he gave a curt nod and grabbed for the tankard once more. This was going to be a long night.

"So which one then?"

Arthur let his gaze wander over the crowd, assessing them but eventually shook his head.  
"None," he said. "There's none that fits the profile. They're all either too old or too unsightly, so we don't need to wonder whether they are firstborns or not."

Merlin huffed and lifted the drink in his hand. "Then all we can do is wait."  
He heard the slight slur in his own voice but decided to ignore it. He wasn't drunk. He didn't get drunk that easily. He was the mightiest sorcerer to ever walk the earth. A bit of ale couldn't defeat him. Arthur threw him a look that was something between amused and wary and lifted his own tankard to his lips.

Merlin wasn't really sure how much time had passed but at some point everything had become a bit hazy. He knew Arthur had warned him not to drink any more but Arthur could go and get stuffed!  
His head was, quite comfortably, bedded on his arms on the table and he babbled in the king's direction about how unfair it was that Arthur always treated him like an idiot and how hurtful his demeanour was, and anyway, Arthur was a prat!  
He wasn't really sure if said prat paid any attention because Merlin had to admit that some things he slurred were not entirely clear to him either, but when he felt a warm hand patting the back of his head the world seemed a bit better again. In addition, it also made him realise that he must have changed his appearance back, even though he couldn't pinpoint the exact moment when that had happened, but he didn't really care anyway. So he just nuzzled his face into the crook of his arm, feeling warm and mumbled, "Arthur, can we go home now?"

The hand combed through the short hair of his neck, pulling it a bit and giving Merlin goose bumps.  
"Soon," he heard Arthur say. "I just want to check out that last guy over there."  
Merlin forced himself to look up but could barely recognize anything. He squinted his eyes and saw the blurry image of an unknown young man with curly, ash blond hair, who was about to leave the inn.  
"Is he a firstborn?" Merlin managed to ask.  
"I don't know. But as you wanted to leave anyway, we're going to follow him."  
Merlin groaned in response but Arthur ignored him and pulled him upright instead. The feeling of nausea followed right after. He groaned some more, making sure it was bordering on a whimper, but Arthur was obviously devoid of any kind of mercy when he dragged him to the exit.

Outside it was still raining and Merlin felt even less like stalking an ominous youngster. He wanted to tell Arthur so but was ignored once more when the latter instead slung Merlin's arm over his shoulder and half covered him with his big coat. All of a sudden, Merlin wasn't really that sure anymore what he had been about to say. He felt Arthur's warm body pressed to his own and let himself be dragged down the alley, not really registering where they were going. If Arthur really wanted to chase that guy he would have to do so without Merlin's input – not that he ever put much weight on that anyway. He snorted then giggled to himself. He liked that Arthur was carrying him.  
"You know the last time it was the other way round," he mumbled.

Arthur gave a slightly distracted "Huh?", his attention obviously focused on their surroundings.

"The last time I was carrying you like this," Merlin clarified.

"Yes, but I was dying while you merely had one too many."  
That seemed to amuse Merlin even more. His giggling transformed into a fully grown laughing fit, including the uncoordinated stumbling, hiccupping and even some tears escaping the corner of his eyes. Arthur tried to shush him but that only made Merlin guffaw more.  
"Shut up, you idiot! Like this everybody will think we're up to something."

"Or they'll think we're drunk!" Merlin finally managed to press out between two bouts of laughter.  
Arthur rolled his eyes – well, Merlin thought he did, because right now the king held himself in his typical _you poor, dim-witted peasant_ posture that was especially reserved for him. It made Merlin explode again, while Arthur lowered him to sit on the threshold of someone's door.  
"Pull yourself together," Arthur sounded stern, he was definitively using his kingly voice now, "you don't want to rouse half of Camelot."

That seemed to do the trick because Merlin finally started to calm down. He still let loose the occasional chortle but when his clumsy hands grabbed for Arthur's he seemed a bit more sober again. "I'm glad you're alive," he mumbled and had an almost dreamy expression on his face when he looked up at the other man. "Aren't you glad too?"

Arthur raised his free hand to comb it through Merlin's wet hair, who snuggled into the touch affectionately. "I am. I'm more grateful than I can put in words." He gave a little smile but there was a bitter edge to it so that even Merlin in is drunk state could feel some of his euphoria dwindle. Arthur's hand wandered lower and settled in Merlin's neck, massaging the skin there gently.  
"I'm grateful, Merlin," he murmured, "but I don't like what's going on right now."

Suddenly Merlin felt the cold of the rainy night much more prominently again. It contrasted with the warmth of Arthur's skin and Merlin was all too clearly reminded of the familiarity of the situation.  
"Arthur," he breathed. But Arthur's grip in his neck tightened, only slightly but enough to indicate that he wasn't done yet. He lowered himself to his knees so that he was at eye level with Merlin.  
"I don't like what going on right now because you are behaving like some irresponsible twat."

Merlin winced.

"I really expect you to pull yourself together, because we're having a mission here!" After a pause and a glare, he added, "Or are you doing this on purpose?"

Merlin stared, his heart beat too loud in his own ears. "I don't…" he began, "why would I…."  
Arthur was still holding him, which didn't exactly further the case of coming up with a satisfying answer. But this was important, for both of them, so he continued struggling for words, "I don't … I'm not doing this on purpose… I'm just drunk… and if I was a knight you wouldn't make such a big deal out of it." He felt rather sick by now.

Arthur huffed and let go of him. "If you were a knight I would strip you of all your titles and throw you into the dungeons for such a stunt."  
Merlin nodded. Yeah, that was probably true. He let his head fall forward because it had become really hard to focus. "I'm sorry," he mumbled then proceeded to throw up over Arthur's shoes.

Arthur yelped and recoiled immediately while Merlin slumped against the doorframe. He could barely keep his eyes open. "I really think we should go home now. The guy's gone anyway."  
He must have spaced out for a second after that because the next thing he registered was Arthur dragging him to his feet, mumbling about _the worst manservant ever_. Merlin would have smiled hadn't he felt so utterly miserable.

They followed the dark streets, many of which had turned into literal mud slides, and staggered into the direction of the Upper Town. Merlin wasn't really in any condition to pay much attention to where he stepped, so Arthur had to save his stuck boots more than once. And while it would normally have amused him to no end to see the king kneel down and fix Merlin's shoe over his heel, it only evoked a sluggish sigh now. He just wanted to go home and sleep.  
So it came as an actual surprise that he noticed the noise that made Arthur's head turn only an instant later. The king rose to his feet and scanned their surroundings. Merlin recognized the warrior stance immediately, which made him – despite his difficulties in concentrating – much more alert too. Were they being followed? He shot Arthur a questioning look but was cut off with a silencing gesture before he could even open his mouth. Arthur was listening into the night.

The rain's cacophony made it hard to tell which sounds were brought forth by potential enemies and which were just the storm. So after a few tense moments Merlin made a silent gesture to continue their journey homewards. He wasn't really in the mood to deal with back alley robbers right now and honestly a bit afraid that a confrontation wouldn't end well – for them.  
However, when he turned around there suddenly stood someone in the middle of the street. Merlin flinched violently and immediately raised his hand. Arthur had spotted the stranger too because he took a step closer to Merlin.

"Who goes there?" he asked. "Make yourself known!"

The figure didn't move nor answer though. It just stood there in the rain, draped in a long, hooded cloak, whose colour was hard to make out in the dark. If Merlin squinted there might have been a shimmer of red to it but it was really impossible to tell.

Arthur took a step forward, revealing the pommel of his sword in the process. "Speak now or let us pass!"  
The figure, of course, didn't react. So when Arthur drew his sword, about to approach, Merlin grabbed for his sleeve. He silently shook his head and they exchanged a warning look. But when they turned towards the stranger again he was gone. Arthur lowered his sword, dumbfounded.

"What was that?" he asked and for a moment Merlin could almost hear Uther's most iconic _What kind of sorcery is this?_ The thought would have made him grin, hadn't he been quite confused about this encounter too. "I have no idea," he admitted. "I didn't feel any magic."  
Arthur snorted. "Are you actually capable of that in your state?" He sheathed his sword again and Merlin felt like pouting. They went home without any further interruptions.

* * *

He had taken Merlin to Gaius' and felt rather jumpy when the fool's clumsy stumbling had almost woken the old man. Admittedly, not so much because of the physician's interrupted night time but more because Arthur knew the biting effect Gaius' reprimands could have, and right now he was really in absolutely no mood to deal with that – even if they were targeted at someone else.

So he manhandled Merlin into his bed, which creaked under his weight. Merlin groaned but otherwise didn't put up much resistance when Arthur, quite unceremoniously, yanked his shirt over his head and tossed the wet boots into some corner. Merlin's breeches were in a rather bad state too, the legs soaked trough and muddy. Arthur knew that it would be better to get them off but the part of him that had been brought up a crown prince – Merlin would consider that part to be the pratish one – bristled in indignation at the thought of having to undress his own manservant. It was beneath him, most certainly. When he grabbed for the thin blanket though, he saw a shiver run down Merlin's lean form and Arthur felt himself relent. With a grunt he threw the blanket on the floor and instead reached for the lacing of Merlin's breeches. He made sure that the scowl was fixed on his face when he pulled down the wet fabric and threw it in same corner as the boots had gone before.

Still, Merlin showed no conscious reaction, instead the skin of his legs was covered in goose bumps and Arthur let himself be softened up by the display to retrieve the blanket and rub down the wet sheen. When he was done Merlin was dry but the blanket a clammy mess. With that he couldn't cover his drunk and shivering servant. Arthur let out a weary sigh and ran a hand through his hair. It felt somewhat greasy too. He really couldn't go back like this, it would elicit unnecessary rumours about where the king had spent the evening, and he didn't want to trouble his sleeping queen.  
So Arthur shrugged out his coat and let it drop to the floor. The rest of his clothes weren't in a shape as bad as Merlin's but his boots were muddy too and – and Merlin would have to clean in here tomorrow, most certainly.  
He pulled them off and got out of his breeches but made sure to keep on the shirt. He sat down on the bed next to Merlin, whose form looked askew, and put a hand on his forehead to check the temperature. Merlin seemed alright, apart from the alcohol induced black-out of course, and actually started to snuggle into the touch. Arthur couldn't help a little amused huff coming over his lips. Of course, the idiot would be a cuddler.  
He spread the wet blanket over their feet and calves and lay down, making sure Merlin was pressed to his side and would get some of his body heat. Arthur closed his eyes. It had been a long day and the rain was still pouring down outside. For a moment the thought crossed his mind that if it didn't stop soon there would be danger of flooding, and after the recent war losing crops was really the last thing Camelot needed. So with the usual thoughts concerning his kingdom and her people Arthur drifted into an uneasy sleep.

He woke again to some unintelligible mumbling and the feeling of a prickling numbness in his right hand. It took him a moment to realise that the origin of both was Merlin. Apparently, the idiot had decided that holding on to Arthur was a good idea while he was sleeping off his stupor. Under normal circumstances Arthur wouldn't have minded - well some teasing was always involved– but this was his sword hand and Merlin was holding on to it with such a death grip that Arthur was sure he would get some bruising from it. He tried to wriggle free without waking Merlin but the motion elicited an unhappy grunt and a mumbled word Arthur couldn't make out yet _felt_ immediately.

Without his own volition his body tensed and fell back on the lumpy mattress. A shocked gasp escaped his mouth. Merlin had trapped him.  
In the most laboured fashion he turned his head towards the sleeping sorcerer, who showed no sign of realizing what he had done.

"Merlin," Arthur pressed out, "release me now!"

But of course the moron didn't react - what had he expected? Arthur took a deep breath and tested his boundaries. It wasn't as if Merlin's magic rendered him completely motionless but more like being trapped in a blanket cocoon that still allowed a certain amount of movement. He turned his body more towards Merlin.

"Merlin," he tried again. "Wake up. You're… your magic is acting up."

Merlin groaned a bit, his eyelids fluttering. Arthur caught a flash of gold and felt the warm pressure engulfing him recede. He rolled his shoulders testingly and seriously wondered how Merlin had gone undetected in Camelot for so long. The man lacked any kind of noteworthy discipline or self-control. It was a disaster.

He scooted to the bed's edge and almost fell off when he yanked his hand free a bit too forcefully. The sorcerer mumbled a groggy "don't" but otherwise didn't react. Arthur sighed - deliberately and very loudly - hoping it would finally have the desired effect. When Merlin opened his eyes though, he didn't look much more awake than before. Quite on the contrary, his gaze was unfocused and detached, and unfortunately all too familiar. Arthur grimaced and got up.  
He regarded Merlin with his unseeing eyes that stared into the distance and decided that he's had enough of it. He had dragged the drunken idiot home, put him to bed, even tolerated a magical attack –albeit incidental – without a big fuss, but now it was enough. Merlin might not know what was going on but Arthur wouldn't put up with it any longer. So without another look back at his confused servant Arthur left.

* * *

The next time he saw Merlin was when he stumbled, pale and with dark circles under his eyes, into the council chambers. Leon was reporting on Saxons being sighted close to the north western border but Arthur stopped paying any proper attention once the idiot had taken his place in the lines of servants, looking positively miserable. Arthur felt a dark satisfaction at the sight. He shot Merlin a smug grin that was countered by a barely visible eye roll. The corner of Arthur's lips tugged up, he could almost hear the insults Merlin must be repeating in his head.

"His Majesty most certainly agrees that taking measures immediately is of utmost importance." Councillor Daegan had directed his words at Sir Leon but his eyes were following Arthur's every move. The king coughed and made a deflective gesture. Daegan wasn't exactly one of his personal favourites. The man had belonged to his father's council and it showed more often than not that he considered Arthur a boy who was in need of guidance by an experienced hand. Of course, Daegan considered himself to be that hand. Arthur would have loved to get rid of him.

"We will send a patrol there. But apart from that I'm unwilling to spare any more men at the moment." With that Arthur considered the issue closed. Leon nodded and bowed. He seemed to agree with the king's decision but when he turned to leave Daegan raised his hand again and stopped him.  
"Is it true that another person had been reported missing, Sir Leon? The rumours concerning the repeated disappearances from the citadel are really quite worrisome." Daegan had put on a troubled expression but his eyes shifted to Arthur all the same.

The king sat up in his chair, straightening his position. From the corner of his eyes he noticed that Merlin had done the same, obviously much more focused now. Arthur let his gaze shift back to Leon. "Is this true? If yes, I wish to be informed immediately of such news." He tried to sound stern.

Leon hesitated with his answer. "We have not yet been able to verify the disappearance, that's why I haven't brought it up, sire." Arthur nodded. Leon didn't want to cause unnecessary panic because this was already the third person gone missing in Camelot and people were starting to notice.  
He rubbed his forehead. "Please continue with your investigation. If this proves to be another mysterious disappearance, we need to take action against it."

"This could be the work of sorcerers?" Daegan threw in and Arthur felt himself tensing up involuntarily. He had to take a very deep breath before he answered: "In the last few days I've seen more sorcery than I ever wanted to, but before we all turn into my father," some uneasy laughter followed, "I'd rather have this looked into with a less biased attitude. Maybe there's a perfectly normal explanation to this." His gaze drifted to Merlin who looked even paler than before, if that was possible. Leon nodded obediently and left.

Arthur turned back to his councillors. "Anything else you consider worthy of my attention?"  
And while he addressed all of them it was clear he particularly meant Daegan, who he pointedly didn't look at. When he was already about to get up and declare the council closed, it was old Mangold who stepped forward with a little cough.

"Although I have my doubts about its truthfulness, sire, it still might be necessary – for the protocol - to mention that there has apparently been a ghost sighting in the Lower Town."

Arthur wanted to groan. He sat back in his chair. If his councillors continued to uphold this amount of quality work he could just as well give the post to crazy Moll – or Merlin. Speaking of which, that one had shifted a bit closer to him. Under the pretext of putting the king's goblet away Merlin had succeeded in securing the position right behind him, which was normally a sign he wanted to talk to him in private. Arthur ignored his presence like he was supposed to but shared the sentiment nonetheless.

"A ghost sighting?" he repeated, sounding unamused.

"Yes, sire." Mangold nodded. "It apparently takes the shape of a woman. However, nobody has been hurt so far. The ghost only passes by and seems to ignore the people."

Arthur regarded Mangold with a frown; he really wasn't in the mood for this. "And what makes this ghost tale any more believable than your average drunkard's babble?" he asked.  
Mangold swallowed, clearly not so sure anymore about the significance of the news. "Well, sire, as several people have reported on seeing the ghost, it seemed a good idea to make it known that there is a haunting. After all, the last time…"

Arthur let the rest of Mangold's sentence fade out. He really didn't need that. His eyes travelled to Merlin who shot him a lopsided grin. He obviously shared Arthur's opinion on unvengeful lady spirits. They really had to get out of here and investigate the disappearances. After their failed attempt from yesterday Arthur had already come up with some new ideas on how to proceed.

"… And seeing that most of the witnesses described the woman as wearing a long, hooded cloak it is unlikely to be a simple coincidence."

Arthur's head immediately snapped back to the councillor. "A cloak?" he asked.  
"Yes, sire. So it is reported." Mangold supplied hesitatingly, clearly surprised by the king's newfound interest. Arthur exchanged a look with Merlin, who only raised a confused eyebrow, obviously having lost the memory of their nightly encounter in the aftermath of his stupor. Arthur pursed his lips in the most displeased manner and decided that he didn't have time for this anyway.

"The council is dismissed."

* * *

"What do you want to do now?" Merlin asked.  
Arthur ran a hand through his hair while he paced the room. "I don't know, Merlin. This is your field, you tell me."  
Merlin wrinkled his forehead. "Since when do you listen to what I say?"

Arthur shot him a reproachful glare, which only made Merlin lift his hands in a placating gesture.  
"Alright, I get it. But I still don't know any more than you do."

"Well, according to Leon's report the guy missing was last seen at – oh, surprise! – _The Rising Sun_. He left alone and apparently never arrived at home. And now guess the man's description!"  
Merlin shook his head confusion. "Why would I know what he looked li –" before he could finish Arthur had walked over and grabbed his wrist. "Because you saw him. We both did! Well, you probably didn't because you were too much into your cups, but it was the guy we tried to follow. Curly, ash blond hair, pockmarked face. Does that ring a bell?" Merlin grimaced, staring at his wrist in Arthur's hand. He didn't really remember any marks but that didn't mean much, so he just nodded cautiously.

"We lost him because you were too drunk to walk properly and now he's disappeared, exactly like Brianna, the stable boy and the second rate bard. We could have prevented this but no, you had to use the occasion to…" Arthur's voice trailed off. He shook his head and let go of Merlin, who was staring at the floor, abashed.

Arthur regarded him for a while then took a deep breath. Calmer he said:  
"Why did you even do it? I mean I don't mind you drinking the occasional ale but you knew this was important. Why couldn't you restrain yourself? This is so unlike you."

Merlin looked up, there was something undeniably desperate in his eyes. He opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something but nothing came out. His gaze shifted to a point somewhere behind Arthur.  
"I don't know," he whispered. "I just felt like getting drunk. It's… I know it was stupid."

Arthur raised an eyebrow. "You felt like getting drunk?" he repeated. "Merlin, because of you…"  
Arthur felt all the words - the reproaches - bubbling beneath his skin, but in how Merlin looked so lost he realised it was pointless. This would just lead to _another I don't know what's wrong, I swear I don't do it on purpose _confession. And Arthur's had enough of it. So he stopped. He took a step back and brought a bit of distance between him and Merlin.

"I'll have to punish you for this."

Merlin looked dumbstruck, but after a tense second he nodded and seemed to settle a bit more into himself again. "I understand," he said and even managed a pained smile. "And what do you have in mind, sire?"

Arthur rubbed his chin, pretending to actually consider the question while studying the other man. "Well, obstruction of justice would most certainly lead to you being thrown into the dungeons. Drunkenness in public, on the other hand, would get you to spend some quality time with your good old friend, the stocks. So which one do you want?"

Merlin hesitated. "Do I really get a say in this?" he asked, sounding just a tiny bit hopeful. And Arthur, despite his anger, couldn't help feeling maybe a tiny bit amused. He took a step towards him. "What do you think?"  
He grabbed Merlin by the neck and started dragging him towards the door. The guards outside looked positively surprised when he shoved his servant through the door, bellowing the order to have him put in the stocks for the rest of the day. Merlin's scandalized expression was almost funny.

He watched as the guards scurried him away and made plans to have another talk with Leon about the missing people.

* * *

Well, admittedly, Merlin had imagined his afternoon to play out a bit differently but he couldn't really fault Arthur for his decision. To be honest he almost found this punishment a bit too lenient, _almost_. He rolled his shoulders and cursed inwardly. He had forgotten how uncomfortable the stocks were. Despite Arthur threatening him on a regular basis, it had actually been a while since he'd been put here. When he thought about it, the last time Uther had still been around. He creased his forehead and wondered if this kind of nostalgia was really called for. Probably not.

Merlin tried to crane his neck and failed miserably. He was waiting for Gaius to return, who – after a thorough scolding, of course – had promised to bring him something against his headache. Still, the old man apparently didn't deem it necessary to hurry up, but it wasn't as if Merlin was going somewhere anyway. He grinned at his own lame joke and waved at the passers-by who stared a bit too rudely. He was probably lucky that after the war food was still rationed and there weren't enough leftovers to waste them on Merlin. So the children, who would normally have been delighted to pelt him with anything squishy, had to content themselves with dancing some rounds around his block while chanting rhymes that contained his name and a whole lot of variations of the word idiot. Merlin would actually have been impressed hadn't the off-key singing rung so badly in his oversensitive ears.

It wasn't Gaius who eventually ended his suffering in returning with the much desired draught but the voice of a woman that yelled something about the kids' parents being on their way here. The cluster dispersed immediately and Merlin was about to express his eternal thanks to his saviour when he noticed that the voice's owner was standing right in front of him with a rather nasty scowl on her face. It made the words die on his lips immediately.

It took him a moment to recognize her because she had a rather shabby-looking brown shawl wrapped around her head but this was the girl from the petitions yesterday, the one that had accused her brother's fiancée of sorcery. Merlin swallowed. Wasn't she supposed to be locked up?

He offered a tentative "Hello?"

The woman didn't answer, instead she went on staring like she wanted to mangle him. It made Merlin a bit uneasy. "Can I help you with anything?"

"Yes, you can, traitor," she finally hissed.

"Excuse me?" Now Merlin definitely felt the need to shift from one foot to the other.  
"Oh, don't pretend, witcher! We both know it's you."  
More out of habit Merlin tried to turn his head to check if somebody had heard before he focused on her again. "What the hell are you talking about?" he asked in a much lower voice now.

She narrowed her eyes but then a smirk appeared on her face and she took a step closer to him.  
"So you prefer to play dumb. Very well, I don't care. I want to know why it didn't work. After all I stuck to my end of the bargain."

Merlin could only shake his head in confusion, feeling more than a bit alarmed now. "Listen, I really have no idea what…" but she didn't let him finish instead she grabbed the hair of his fringe, brutally forcing his head backwards. The collision with the wooden boards made him wince and between clenched teeth he pressed a strained "what do you want from me?" out.

"What I want?! What you promised me, you fraud!" She let go of his hair abruptly and Merlin's head lolled forward again. "I can't believe you're the king's manservant. I didn't recognize you at first but now everything makes so much more sense."  
Merlin could only stare at her, feeling the anxiety rising. Somewhere behind them a couple passed by, giving them a suspicious look before scurrying off.  
"Would you mind tuning it down a little bit," he shushed, involuntarily jolting his own restraints.

She sneered but took a step back, regarding Merlin disdainfully. "Does the king know what you're up to behind his back?"  
"I'm not up to anything!" he tried to argue back but part of him already knew it would be pointless. He sighed. "Listen, whatever you think I have done… it's a misunderstanding… I don't…"  
"No, you listen!" she interrupted. "You promised me the poultice would help me getting rid of that harlot but now exactly the opposite happened. He wants to marry her and everybody thinks I'm a liar!"

He stared at her, wide-eyed, trying to make sense of what he had just heard. The girl, however, apparently still hadn't finished because she bent down a little and whispered into his ear:  
"I'm gonna make you pay for this. I'm gonna tell everybody the truth about what you are."

With that she turned around and started to walk away. Merlin couldn't really say what happened after that. It must have been a panic reaction because suddenly he felt his own magic springing to life and the locks on his restraints snapped open. Before he fully realised what he had done he was already on his feet and running after her. "Wait!"  
But of course this was also the very moment the couple from before had decided to return with some guards in tow, pointing at the escaping prisoner. "Halt! Stop where you're going this very moment!"  
Merlin froze, his gaze alternating between the guards pointing their halberds at him and the girl inconspicuously slipping away. She winked at him before she disappeared around the next corner and Merlin felt foolish.

When the guards grabbed and started dragging him towards the direction of the castle, he knew he was in big trouble.

* * *

Being thrown into the dungeons hadn't come as a very big surprise. Being left there for almost a whole day until Arthur eventually deemed it appropriate to come and see him felt a bit spiteful though. So Merlin sent his best wretched expression in his direction when he appeared on the other side of the bars. The king, of course, wasn't fazed. Instead he regarded Merlin with a cool detachment, not saying anything.  
They simply stared at one another for a few seconds before Merlin relented, lowered his gaze and uttered a meek "I'm sorry." When that still couldn't elicit a reaction from Arthur, Merlin looked up again, cautiously searching the king's face for any trace of sympathy. But Arthur's expression stayed stony. With his arms clasped behind his back and regal bearing he looked like he was about to pass judgement on Merlin.

"Arthur, I know I shouldn't have broken free from the stocks but I had to go after her," he tried again, taking a step forward and putting his hands around the cold bars, making sure he sounded pleading.  
Though when the king's demeanour finally broke, it wasn't the reaction Merlin had hoped for, because Arthur only wrinkled his nose and retreated a bit.  
"You have an excuse for everything, don't you?" He shook his head, his voice hard.

Merlin's eyes went wide. "No, Arthur, it's not… I didn't mean to… I had to…" he stammered but Arthur's expression was unforgiving. Merlin let his head fall forward, clanking against the bars.  
"I'm sorry," he murmured again "I didn't think about it."

A huff was the answer but he could hear Arthur taking a step closer again. "That's what I thought."  
Merlin peered up from underneath his lashes. Arthur was approaching the lock and Merlin immediately straightened, wanting to make space for the door to be opened but the king paused in his movement, regarding him again with another reproachful expression. "I thought we had agreed upon you going subtly about the whole magic business? Breaking free from the stocks without a key and without any obvious signs of force is not exactly what I call subtle. Or do I have to explain the meaning of the word to you again?" Arthur put the key in the lock while Merlin was nodding dutifully.  
"I know what subtle means," he said with a lopsided grin while Arthur turned the key, but the joke fell flat and so Merlin could only step back while the door was opened. Arthur signalled for him to get out with a curt nod but when Merlin wanted to turn left his upper-arm was grabbed rather painfully.

"Not the exit," Arthur hissed and pulled him in the opposite direction. Merlin let himself be dragged along but the confusion was written plainly on his face.

"Where are we going?" he asked but Arthur ignored his inquiry, instead the grip around his arm tightened. It made Merlin a bit nervous.  
"Listen Arthur, I only went after her because she seemed to know about my magic. She threatened…" he couldn't finish the sentence because Arthur roughly shoved him through another door, immediately locking it after them. Merlin scanned the room and felt his stomach drop. He was pretty sure he had never been in here before.  
"Is this the torture chamber?" he asked with eyes gone wide.  
Arthur nodded. "It hasn't been in use for a while."  
Merlin's jaw dropped. "Arthur, you're not seriously planning on…" he gestured to the instruments on the wall. There was a little twitch of the corners of Arthur's mouth before he schooled his features back into the unreadable mask from before. "That entirely depends on you. Now take off the jacket and kneel over there." Arthur pointed to a weird wooden device that looked like some smaller scale stocks only with a bench attached to them.

"Excuse me?"  
"You heard what I said, do it now."  
Merlin gaped. His gaze flickered between Arthur and the bench and he barely succeeded in closing his mouth again. "You can't be serious."

"I'm waiting, Merlin."

Merlin swallowed. Rationally, he knew that this was a test and that Arthur wanted proof of his loyalty after his many screw-ups in the last few days, but that didn't change that fact that he felt extremely disconcerted about the idea of being locked up in some weird device in the torture chamber. Nonetheless, he started fumbling with his jacket. With clumsy fingers he let it fall to the ground, sending a little pleading look in Arthur's direction. The king, however, stayed so pointedly unimpressed that Merlin had no choice but to take a cautious step over to the bench. He shot Arthur another questioning look before he knelt down and placed his wrists in the wooden shackles.  
The king snapped them shut and Merlin couldn't help a wince.

"Now, let's talk." Arthur leant against the wall, his arms folded in front of his chest.

"And for that it's necessary to lock me up here?" Merlin asked with a frown on his face.  
"It is. Seeing as you have developed a penchant for lying or evading my questions."  
Merlin pressed his lips together, he felt very uncomfortable in his skin right now. "I don't do it on purpose, I already told you so."

"That doesn't exactly make it better." Arthur had turned around and was now examining the tools decorating the wall. And while Merlin realised that this was a mere strategy of intimidation, he couldn't say it wasn't working. He swallowed, his eyes trained on Arthur's every move.

"I'm trying, Arthur. I really do." He sounded desperate now that king's fingers were trailing the wooden structure of a rather large paddle. A shiver was running down his spine.  
"I know something is wrong with me," he hastened to add when the tool was lifted out of its holder.  
Arthur turned around, a mischievous gleam in his eyes. "Go on."  
"I – " Merlin's mouth felt really dry. "I don't know what it is." Arthur took a step closer to him.  
"It's like whenever I try to give it some thought I get distracted."  
"Then you have to try harder." Arthur took another step in his direction.

Merlin's eyes were wide and he involuntarily shifted in his bonds. "Arthur, you're not really going to…" He eyed the paddle in Arthur's hands. Instead of answering an oddly cheerful expression crossed the king's face though. "Do you know what the label on this says? Made from elder wood. Isn't elder wood like totally magical?"  
Merlin pressed his lips together before he forced himself to throw an equally fake smile back at Arthur. "Doesn't look very magical to me."

"Well then, let's find out." And with that Arthur swung the paddle, making it collide hard with Merlin's backside.

Merlin yelped. He would always insist that is was more out of surprise than actual pain, but elder wood indeed hurt like thrice cursed bloody elder wood! He balled his fists and very slowly turned his head to Arthur. "Definitely not magical," he rasped through gritted teeth.

Arthur laughed. The prat really had the insolence to laugh at him!

In the most casual manner Arthur pulled out a chair next to him and flopped into it. He propped the paddle against his leg and let his gaze wander over his servant's slightly dishevelled appearance, a smirk playing at the corner of his lips. "How are you feeling?"

"What do you think?!" Merlin snapped, shifting his weight from one knee to the other. His face felt quite hot too. Arthur, the smug bastard, only seemed more pleased with that though. He let his eyes linger a bit longer before he leant forward and fixed him with something much more serious in his expression. "We're talking business now. No more games, Merlin…"

Merlin wanted to protest but Arthur ignored him. "No more weird excuses. Just tell me the truth. Tell me everything you know."

Merlin swallowed. His throat suddenly felt quite sore and the shackles holding him seemed so constrictive he wanted to snap them open. He could snap them open, anytime. He knew that and Arthur knew it too, that was the point of this whole thing, wasn't it? He let his head sink forward so his forehead touched the wood.

"I really don't know what's going on, Arthur. I swear. If I knew I would have made it stop long ago."  
He couldn't see Arthur's reaction but he heard the not very subtle noise of wood scraping over stone. It made his flesh crawl. But instead of another slap he felt a hand settle in his neck. Not very gently it forced him to look up.

"Merlin…"

Arthur's expression said it all. He was concerned, angered, suspicious, disappointed…  
Merlin could see it all and he knew that now was the moment he had to confess, just that he didn't really know what to say or if he even had something to confess.

He stared and the seconds were ticking by. The thoughts in his head were whirling. It was all so tangled up.

Arthur looked at him expectantly but his brows were beginning to crease. He was running out of patience while Merlin still tried to make up his mind. When he was already about to turn around with an upset huff Merlin spluttered: "I have nightmares."  
Arthur's head snapped back. He looked at him questioningly as if he hadn't fully understood what Merlin had said.

"I have nightmares… every night since…" he admitted, lowering his gaze.  
"I figured," Arthur said in a low voice. "What are they about?"

Merlin only shook his head. "That's the problem. I don't remember them in the morning. But I know they must have been nightmares because I feel terrible when I get up. Like I've been drained…"  
Arthur nodded, leaning back in his chair. He seemed to ponder Merlin's words. More to himself he muttered: "So they must be magical."

Merlin involuntarily jerked at his restraints. "What makes you think that?" He sounded alarmed.  
Arthur raised an unimpressed eyebrow as if saying_ really, Merlin?_  
"Well, nightmares you don't remember but haunt you every night and leave you utterly miserable don't exactly sound normal. Or what do you normally dream of?"  
Merlin pursed his lips but had to admit to Arthur had a point, so he only shrugged and averted his gaze. Something about this conclusion made him feel uneasy.

Arthur rubbed his chin. "So it's the Sidhe?"  
Merlin didn't answer immediately; instead he took a deep breath before he said: "It's the only thing I can think of." The admission didn't make him feel better. Quite on the contrary, actually. A shiver ran down his spine, like the frozen breath of a warning he didn't quite remember. Merlin knew instantly he had said too much, but the king didn't seem to share this sentiment and instead watched Merlin intently. "Then we have to go there and talk to them."

"I don't think that's a good idea," Merlin knew he was going to regret this, "I made a pact with them. I can't go back on it." For a moment he was truly tempted to use his magic on the stocks holding him, so he could just get up and walk away. He felt like doing it.  
"And that's exactly the point." Arthur's gaze didn't waver but his eyes had narrowed. "You made a pact with some magical creatures, not really knowing what it implied and now we might all be in danger. And don't you dare telling me the missing people are just a coincidence. "

Merlin swallowed and shifted in his bonds. "I-I don't think it's a coincidence." He tried to give his voice a firm tone but he didn't really succeed. "Arthur, I'm really trying to fix this but you…"  
"No, Merlin," Arthur held up his hand, interrupting him mid-sentence. "I've had enough of your _You just have to trust me_. Look where it landed us," for emphasis he gestured around them, "in the bloody torture chamber! We will head for Avalon tomorrow, no back talk!" Merlin's eyes went wide.  
"Before we leave I want the compiled notes on what you have on the Sidhe, by Gaius, not you! For you have obviously been compromised."

Merlin wanted to argue back, say that he was in no way disloyal to Arthur but the king's stern look made him press his lips together and swallow his words with an unhappy frown. Arthur nodded, obviously feeling vindicated.

"And now," he took hold of the paddle again and got up.  
Merlin felt very bad about this development. He tried to follow Arthur's movement out of the corner of his eyes, but the other man had moved to a position right behind him.  
"…we're discussing your punishment."

Another hard smack landed on Merlin's buttocks and he screeched.

"Punishment?! That's not fair, Arthur! I did what you as you said, I told you everything I know, I swear!"

Behind him he heard Arthur chuckle. "Oh, this isn't for now. It's for all the times you were late or didn't show up at all." He swung the paddle again. "It's for getting drunk and losing us an important witness." Merlin felt the pain spreading through his body like wildfire. He desperately had to suppress a whimper.  
"It's for breaking out of the stocks against your king's orders…" Arthur especially stressed the last words while the paddling continued.

"It's for being an even lousier manservant than you normally are." With that the last smack fell on his backside and the silence that followed felt deafening.

Merlin heard himself breathe heavily, he was covered in sweat and his ass burned. As far as he was able to he turned his head and tried to get a look at Arthur. The king, however, had his eyes fixed on the paddle and looked quite thoughtful again. Merlin cleared his throat, making Arthur look up. The king blushed slightly and Merlin couldn't help feeling an answering heat spreading up to his face. "Are we done now?" he asked and sent Arthur something that was supposed to be a reproachful glare. Arthur nodded and awkwardly stepped over Merlin's bent knees to get to the shackles.  
Merlin tried to push himself up but when his knees failed him, Arthur grabbed for him and heaved him up. Merlin wanted to protest but felt he couldn't do much against Arthur's ideas of helpfulness. So he let himself be dragged over to the door.

"You're coming with me." Arthur said without looking at him.  
"I am? Where to?" He stiffly tried to straighten his cloths and made a grab for his discarded jacket.

"To my chambers."  
Merlin raised a questioning eyebrow.

"You said you always feel drained after your nightmares, so you're going to spend the night where I can have an eye on you." Merlin nodded and pretended he understood. He really didn't.

TBC


	5. Chapter 4

A/N: **A big THANK YOU to all people you were so kind to leave a comment for the last chapter and the fic in general. I really appreciate hearing from you and it makes me very happy **

On another note, I'd like to say something about how the last chapter ended (the paddling scene) as some people were obviously a bit put off by it/ found it unfitting/ couldn't understand it why Arthur did it. I'd normally answer such a question in private but seeing that it seemed to be a more general issue I'd like to point to my tumblr (you find the link on my profile) where tried to explain a bit better what was going on there.

* * *

Chapter 4

Arthur's night hadn't been very fetching. After a very awkward bath and some badly-timed jokes about Merlin's reddened buttocks, Arthur had succeeded in getting his annoying servant to lie down on some blankets before the hearth. All in all, it wasn't such a bad deal yet the idiot had still constantly complained about how hard the floor was and that he would be so much better off in his own bed. So at some point Arthur had relented and let him climb in his bed. He really wondered what had possessed him there because that had turned out to be a truly abysmal idea. First, Merlin had just lain there, stiff as a board, as if he and Arthur had never shared a bed before and then, when he had eventually relaxed, Arthur had been denied some proper sleep because that stupid sorcerer had started whimpering, tossing and turning in restlessness every few minutes, so that it was really impossible to ignore.

Arthur rubbed his forehead. Gwen, who sat opposite of him, patted his hand sympathetically. Her maidservant had brought them breakfast but Arthur didn't feel like eating. The events of the night had effectively spoilt his appetite.

"You know it I wasn't so busy being angry with him, I'd actually feel sorry."

Gwen nodded. "Yes, being unable to sleep is a sickness that wastes the body and the mind faster than people are aware of. I remember how utterly exhausted Morgana always was after such nights." Arthur tensed. Gwen mentioning his sister was not something he had anticipated in this context but he forced himself to relax and lean back in his chair again. "I don't think it's the same as with Morgana though. Whatever Merlin has, it originates from that cursed lake." His eyes drifted to the window but he could feel Guinevere's stare fixed on him. He heard her sigh before she got up and stepped around the table to his side.  
"I know you're worried, Arthur, but do you really think it's a good idea to go back there?"  
"What other choice do I have? Camelot is in danger and Merlin's not himself." He put his arm around her waist and pulled her closer. Her warmth always had a calming effect on him.  
"I know, but what if…" she struggled with the words and instead combed her fingers through his hair. Arthur snuggled into the touch. "I can't live on borrowed time, Guinevere."

He could feel her going tense against him, so he added, "but I don't want to die either. That's why I need to know what's going on, so I can do something against it."

She didn't say anything to that. They both knew he had made up his mind and unlike a certain someone Gwen actually recognized when it was pointless to argue. So she just pressed a kiss to his forehead and said: "Please be careful then."

He sent her rueful smile. "I promise."

A knock ended their intimate moment. With a groan Arthur peeled himself from his wife's embrace and bid the person to enter.  
"Sire," it was a member of the guard. Arthur signalled for him to continue.  
"Sir Leon requests your presence in the Lower Town. Apparently a body has been found."  
Arthur immediately perked up. He threw Gwen a silent glance then got up and grabbed his jacket while already walking towards the door.

* * *

The scene was hard to miss, the cluster of people making it unmistakably clear that something had happened here. Arthur could feel himself groan inwardly and was quite thankful for the guard's authoritative "Make way for the king!" With the people shuffling out of their way he could detect Leon, Gaius and Merlin. They were bent over a body, agitatedly discussing something. All three of them bowed when they saw him approach and Arthur dismissed the guard with a flick of his hand to join their round. "So what do we have here?"

Gaius frowned then rubbed his chin in the usual manner. "A case of manslaughter, sire. She was repeatedly hit over the head with this stone." He pointed to a bloody thing lying not far from the body. Arthur nodded thoughtfully, studying the half-covered form of the victim.

"Merlin also informed me that you might be familiar with the victim." On cue Merlin lifted the sheet from the body's face revealing the distorted features of someone he indeed knew. Arthur took a deep breath.  
"I thought she ran?" he asked, obviously addressing Merlin this time. The other man, still crouched next to the body, shrugged but didn't look up. "I thought so too. Apparently we were wrong." There was something very strained in his voice, it was obvious he was somehow blaming himself.  
"Well, she broke out from the tower." Arthur supplied, not feeling very commiserating. "She was on the run from the law, quite possible she had other enemies, too. Only think of the woman she accused." Leon and Gaius nodded in agreement but Merlin's gaze was still glued to Moira's dead body.

"She most certainly had other enemies, sire," came Gaius to his aide, "because next to the physical wounds that caused her demise, there's also the little fact that she's missing her tongue."  
"Was it cut out?" Leon asked cautiously. He generally seemed quite shaken by the brutality of the young woman's death. Gaius hesitated. "Well, it doesn't look like it."  
Both Arthur's and Leon's heads turned in his direction. The old man looked rather uncomfortable now. "There was no blood and no wound, she just doesn't have a tongue."

Arthur could feel his mood plummeting. "So it's sorcery, again." He sighed and rubbed a hand over his face. "Great." As if he didn't already have enough other magical problems.

"It doesn't necessarily need to be connected. A sorcerer with the power to enact such a spell would probably not need to stoop so low to stave somebody's head in with a stone." Gaius reasoned with his ice-cold logic but by now it was pretty obvious to Arthur what he was doing: protecting Merlin.

"No, but they still made her shut up. Which means we're looking for a sorcerer and a murderer." Arthur concluded, his eyes following Merlin's every move, who gently pulled the sheet back over Moira's face before he got up again. His back was turned towards Arthur but the king could still see how tense he was.

"I'll summon the victim's brother and his fiancée for an interrogation. After all their engagement somehow seems to be at the centre of this whole mess," Leon suggested. Arthur nodded without looking at the other man. He knew his captain of the guard was a capable man and therefore wasn't bothered when the latter retreated after a short bow. That left him with Gaius and Merlin though. After a moment of pregnant silence Gaius sighed deeply and started shuffling away too.  
"I'll go and get the wheelbarrow," he called back over his shoulder. "Someone has to do it."

Arthur regarded Merlin, who was still avoiding to look at him.  
"Don't you want to say something?" he asked and raised an eyebrow.  
"I didn't do it," Merlin snapped but his gaze was still anywhere else than on his king.  
"Well, I wasn't suggesting you killed her but her to-"

"No!" And now Merlin's eyes finally focused in him. They were glazed over but that didn't take anything from their intensity. Arthur swallowed.

"I did not, in any way, touch or enchant this girl." Merlin balled his hands to fists. "This might be hard for you to believe but not all sorcerers go around and randomly bewitch people who piss them off."  
The volume of his voice was raising and Arthur felt compelled to try and quieten him with a little gesture, but it went totally unnoticed. "I know I said she threatened to reveal my magic, but seriously, Arthur, who would people have believed: the convicted liar or the king's manservant? She had nothing against me." Merlin was breathing hard now and Arthur nodded, trying to convey his agreement while inconspicuously checking their surroundings.

"And even if, I still wouldn't have done something like this. I swear," Merlin said with finality in his voice. Arthur observed the sorcerer's rigid posture with concern.  
"Alright," he said and tried to send something like a reassuring look in his direction. "I believe you."

Merlin frowned in confusion before his features brightened and little. "You do?"  
"Yes," Arthur rolled his eyes and grabbed for Merlin's wrist pulling him a bit farther away from the body. "But only because I know that with your womanish character –showing in how upset you just were – you'd never have the spine to do something like this."  
Merlin pursed his lips and threw Arthur an unimpressed look over this argumentation. In a much more serious tone, though, Arthur added, "And I know you wouldn't do it."

Merlin looked at him then nodded. His gaze was a lot warmer now.  
"Thank you," he whispered.

"Alright!" Arthur let go of his wrist abruptly, taking a step away from his manservant. "Then let's find out who our culprit is. Can you –" he waggled his fingers in the body's direction, "somehow track whoever stole her tongue?"  
Merlin creased his forehead and stared at the covered corpse again before answering, "No, I'd need the missing tongue, the body alone is useless to me."

Arthur huffed. "Great, just great." He took a deep breath and stared at the sky before turning back to Merlin. "So you want me to comb the whole of Camelot for a missing tongue?"

"It would be a start," Merlin said and shrugged.

* * *

"You know with a murderer on the loose we will have to postpone our trip to Avalon," Merlin said carefully. They were searching Moira's house, rummaging through trinkets and dust in hope of finding some clue. So far they had only found mice and cobwebs.

Arthur huffed, glaring in Merlin's direction. "Isn't that what you want?"  
Merlin pretended to be busy going through a chest filled with some shabby, threadbare cloths.  
"Well, I'm not exactly eager to meet the Sidhe again. Last time their hospitality was rather wet," he threw Arthur a lopsided grin, which was met by a grim frown and the king pointedly folding his arms over his chest. "You're not getting away this time. We're going, Merlin, even if I have to drag you there by your enormous ears."  
"You're such an ass." He covered said ears in a mock-scandalized gesture.  
Arthur raised an unimpressed eyebrow. "Don't play sensitive maiden, you're too ugly for it."  
While Merlin still seemed to be working on a comeback, Arthur left for the little antechamber, feeling vindicated. He continued to search for proof of Moira's sorcerous activities, or conspiratorial activities, or any kind of activities, really. But the antechamber proved to be as ordinary as the rest of the house. There was nothing which would have given them any clue on why the young woman had been murdered or by whom. Leon's interrogation of her relatives hadn't rendered any more information either, so this was all quite frustrating.

Arthur was idly examining a coat hanger when Merlin stumbled through the door, knocking something over in the process. Arthur didn't bother to check what it was.  
"I found a shawl, sire."  
Arthur turned with a sigh on his lips. He studied the ugly thing in Merlin's hands with a frown, then shook his head. "And?"

"That's the shawl she wore when she came to see me, when I was in the stocks." The eager look on Merlin's face seemed to indicate that he expected Arthur to make sense of this information but he really didn't. "Well, if it isn't a magical shawl that turns people invisible or something I don't see how that's important." Merlin rolled his eyes and shot Arthur a reproachful _who's the idiot here_ glance.  
"It means she came back here again, after I saw her." He waved the thing in front of Arthur to underline his words.  
"That still doesn't tell us who killed her or why." Arthur retorted and Merlin instantly stopped the waving. For a moment he just stared before he said much slower: "Actually it does."

Arthur frowned.

"How e-" he started to ask, but Merlin cut him short with a hasty gesture, threw the shawl on the floor and held out his hands over it. With an undeniable unease Arthur took a step back. He had realised what Merlin was about to do. "Is that really necessary?"  
"It will show us where Moira was when she wore it. It's brilliant, we can trace back her steps and maybe find a hint this way." Arthur didn't exactly share this opinion, but he couldn't deny that it was a helpful expedient considering the rest of her house seemed to be a dead end. So he gave a little nod of consent but Merlin wasn't paying attention anyway. He was already focused on the shawl, muttering some unintelligible words.

When the brown cloth suddenly lifted into the air and decided to fly straight out of the window, Arthur couldn't say he was surprised. The puzzled look on Merlin's face was almost amusing though. "I didn't expect that. I thought it would give me a vision" he muttered, sheepishly scratching his head. Arthur took a deep breath and decided not to say anything to that before he smacked Merlin over the head and then continued to wordlessly point at the door.

* * *

"I can't believe we're chasing a flying shawl through the Lower Town," Merlin panted, while trying to fight his way through the throng of people that came running in their direction without shoving them too roughly.  
"You're the one to talk," Arthur retorted harshly. He was several steps ahead of him, better exercise and stamina showing. One time they had almost caught up with the darn thing but then it apparently noticed their intention and increased its velocity in slithering away in the most serpentine fashion. Somewhere around that time the screaming had started. Merlin couldn't fault the people for that, they probably thought it was a huge, flying, brown snake haunting Camelot – given her history not such a far-fetched assumption.

Merlin grimaced and tried to catch his breath. The nights without proper sleep were showing right now. He really felt wretched. "Arthur," he rattled, but the king just continued his hunt without looking back. Merlin stopped, clutching his chest because his vision had gone blurry. He was really getting too old for this. Arthur disappeared behind the next corner but the distinctive "Meeerlin!" affirmed that his absence was noted, after all. He took a very deep breath and straightened, purposefully walking after the commotion.  
When he finally arrived at the market square, the shawl was hovering above the stocks, being surrounded by four guards with halberds. Merlin closed up to Arthur. Still out of breath, he panted: "They have to let it pass. If they attack it, the spell breaks and we know as much as we did before."  
Arthur nodded, signalling for the guards to lower their weapons but they proved to be rather reluctant about that order. With obvious distrust they stepped back, still aiming the pointy ends at the ominous cloth. The shawl, however, continued to swirl in nervous circles above the block, not making any move to continue its journey.

"What's it waiting for?" the king hissed.  
"I think it wants us to back off first."

Arthur very slowly turned his head, his lips pressed together to a thin line. "Seriously?"  
He glared at Merlin then whispered through gritted teeth: "Next time you enchant something, make sure it doesn't have a personality."  
Merlin gave a pained smile. "I can't really influence that, sire." They focused on the shawl again.

"What exactly did Moira tell you while you were there?" Arthur asked and gestured to the block.  
Merlin instinctively shook his head. "Mostly weird stuff. She seemed to know about my magic but at the same time I had the impression she was mistaking me for someone else."  
Arthur frowned. An unasked _How come?_ was clearly written on his face.  
Merlin grimaced then averted his eyes. "She implied I was the person who helped her making the poultice and that it was my fault it failed. But I have never seen the woman before she turned up at the petitions, I swear."

Arthur pursed his lips and didn't say anything. He took a step forward towards the guards, signalling again for them to make way for the enchanted cloth. Merlin observed as they – grudgingly – retreated to the outer margins of the square. The shawl was still swirling.  
"Arthur?" Merlin asked, his eyes alternating between the shawl and his king's tense back. But Arthur only lifted his hand, demanding silence, while he cautiously approached the stocks. Merlin hurried after him.

"Whoever made the poultice is probably also responsible for Moira's murder, so we really need this thing," he pointed to the shawl then wiggled his fingers in the most exaggerated fashion, "to move."  
Merlin gave him a dirty look. "If it was that easy, " he imitated Arthur's wiggling, "everybody could do it. And we wouldn't need…" He never finished the sentence because the shawl suddenly accelerated its swirling and then flew literally over their heads. Merlin stared after it, dumbfounded.  
Arthur grinned and clapped his back before he began chasing after it again.

"Out of the way!" he yelled, and Merlin could only roll his eyes.

* * *

"We lost it! I can't believe we lost it!" Arthur was angrily gesturing around the empty alleyway, while Merlin was leaning against the nearest wall, exhaustedly trying to wipe the sweat from his face.  
"It was faster than I expected," he said but only paid a mean amount of attention to Arthur's rambling.  
"Yes, I noticed!" the king spat, pacing back and forth. He probably even said some more but Merlin wasn't in any condition to really heed his words. Instead he listened to his own racing heartbeat. He really needed some rest, some proper one.

"I barely dare to ask but is there any chance to can summon the thing back here?" The contempt in Arthur's voice was so obvious Merlin didn't even bother to look up and only shook his head. He heard Arthur snort. "You're really horrible as a sorcerer. You're even worse than as a manservant."  
Merlin ignored him. It wasn't as if Arthur's reproaches were anything new, so instead he just tried to gather his wits, thinking about how to proceed now. The problem was that the spell he had used on the shawl made it retrace the way it had travelled while Moira wore it, so it would eventually return to Moira's house – probably – but they had lost it before it could have led them to any location that would have promised some clue of her murderer. He waved his hand and ended the spell in his mind. If the shawl was still flying around it would now drop to the ground as lifeless as it was supposed to be. After all, it was no use to them now and better not to scare the citizens any more than they already had.

Arthur grabbed his upper arm, pulling him away from the wall quite forcefully and effectively breaking his reprieve. "What now?" the king asked, but his glare suggested that no matter what Merlin would say there was no right answer.  
"We could go back to Gaius'. Maybe the examination of the body has rendered some more information, " he offered anyway, pointedly staring at where Arthur was holding him. The king narrowed his eyes but let go. Then he took a deep breath and stepped away, shaking his head.  
"I don't know how you do it," he muttered more to himself. Merlin knew it was probably a stupid idea to ask but the self-destructive part of him just couldn't let it go. So he inquired, "What, sire?"

Arthur turned back around, studying Merlin's form with a frown. "All of this. Hunting enchanted items of clothing, solving magical murders. You've done it for years, haven't you?"  
Merlin wanted to retort that Arthur had done the same - at least to some extent - but the rattling sound from the stack of wood behind them diverted his attention. One of the logs had fallen to the ground; just like this. But of course, there was no real _just like this_, so Merlin passed Arthur without paying attention to the latter's slightly confused expression and walked over to the toppled wood. He picked it up and examined it. It looked perfectly ordinary. It felt perfectly ordinary. Arthur came up next to him. He didn't say anything but then pointed at a little piece of paper jammed between two other logs from where the first one had fallen.  
"Maybe it's what's beneath," he said and grinned at Merlin, who immediately dropped his log and pulled out the paper. He studied it with an intense gaze, his forehead wrinkling in the process.  
"Sometimes I fear I haven't done this long enough," he whispered, then shook his head and glanced at Arthur. In a more official tone he said: "This is a summoning spell. Quite a powerful one. I don't know if Moira would have been able to pull it off, it…" he faltered and looked at the stack of wood.

"It's too much of a coincidence."  
Arthur nodded. "Of course it is. But what else do we got?" He made an ushering gesture but Merlin just stared at him.

"You want me to evoke this spell? Seriously?"  
"As you said, it's too much of a coincidence. Someone wanted us to find this." He pointed at the crumpled piece of paper. "So can you summon whoever gets to be summoned?"  
Merlin gave an insecure nod, his gaze still alternating between Arthur and the spell in his hands.  
"But I'm really not sure we should do this. I don't know who gets summoned. The spell only says it's supposed to be the _wīdfarend_, the wanderer. That could mean anything." He shrugged, trying to cover up the nervousness that had taken hold of him. He really had a bad feeling about this. But Arthur seemed to have made up his mind. He pointed the middle of the dirt path, wordlessly implying that Merlin should do as he was told, while he quickly checked their surroundings.

"What? Here? Now? Are you crazy?! What if somebody sees?!" Merlin hastily followed Arthur's example of looking around while jumping from one foot to the other.  
Arthur raised an unimpressed eyebrow at him. "Merlin, you somehow – and I would like to stress it's still a huge mystery to my how – succeeded to go undetected in Camelot for ten years, so this really shouldn't pose that much of a problem to you." He sounded quite taunting, and Merlin could only grit his teeth and take a deep breath.

"Alright," he said, "but it's a big spell. I need the space."  
Arthur obligingly took a step back and observed as Merlin drew a circle on the ground with his foot.  
"This is the target," Merlin continued explaining. He still felt rather jittery and it showed in his lines. "The wanderer will appear within it once summoned." Arthur didn't say anything to that only continued to enact the role of the spoilt royal prat with his arms crossed in front of his chest and a general air of bored impatience. It really had the tension rising in Merlin.

"Arthur, are you really sure you want to go through with this? It's a weird spell, I don't think this is a good idea." It was a last attempt and Merlin knew he must have been sounding rather pathetic, but really…

Arthur looked at him, then after a moment of studying him intently he rolled his eyes. "Come on, Merlin. Try to scrape the little bits of manliness you possess together and get this going."

So in defeat there was nothing else left to do for Merlin than trudging over to the opposite end of the circle. Arthur threw an almost cheerful "don't worry, if we get caught I promise to come up with an excuse" in. It didn't make him feel any better when he started to mumble the incantation. The spell itself was nothing he had encountered before. It had a rather unusual make-up and would most certainly have stirred his interest, hadn't the situation been so forced. He finished the words and felt the power rising. The magic pulsed through his veins, calling out to _the wanderer_, ordering him here. Merlin felt the reaction, felt the pull, and then suddenly his vision blurred. He lost his sense of orientation and when looked down on himself he found that he was standing inside the circle.

Somewhere far away he heard Arthur's frightened cry of "Merlin!" before everything went black.

* * *

"Shouldn't he have woken up by now? He has been out for over a day, that's not normal. Not that anything's normal with this…." The words faded out and Merlin felt a warm feeling spreading in his chest. He'd recognize Arthur's worried rambling anywhere.  
Light filtered through his eyelids and blinded him. He groaned and immediately felt a pair of hands on him. "Merlin," came Arthur's concerned voice. Another hand felt his forehead.  
"Careful, sire. He must rest."

Merlin forced his eyes open and after a moment of confused squinting he recognized the worried faces of Gaius and Arthur hovering above him. He gave them a weak smile and croaked:  
"What happened?"  
"You passed out, that's what happened." Arthur retorted in an almost scandalized fashion and something in the way he held his hand indicated that he was only one cheeky remark away from hitting Merlin over the head. Merlin knew Arthur's affections tended to hurt, so he sent a smile in his direction before focusing on Gaius, of whom he expected a more useful answer.  
"It seems your attempted spell, " Gaius cast a sideway glance at Arthur, "backfired and in combination with your unrested state you collapsed. All in all, you didn't get seriously hurt. It was more a result of your fatigue, I'd say." Merlin nodded dutifully. He couldn't say whether he felt more rested now than before. Generally he was more inclined to say he felt disorientated and a bit dizzy.

"Let's hope not. It would be too ridiculous to get hurt by your own spell, even for you. Really, Merlin, I thought you were supposed to be good at his?" Arthur was pacing next to his cot, gesturing around in a rather lively fashion. Merlin had to suppress an indignant pout.  
"You could just say you're sorry for not taking my advice."  
Arthur huffed. "As if. You're a bungler, admit it. You conjured yourself into the circle. Who does that?"  
"I didn't." He sat up a bit straighter and folded his arms over his chest, but when even Gaius raised a questioning eyebrow at him he wasn't so sure anymore he really hadn't. "You said it yourself, the spell backfired. It happens. And it was a weird spell anyway."

Arthur huffed again, obviously unimpressed by Merlin's explanation, but finally settled down on the little stool next to his cot. He looked at his servant in a much milder manner now and it almost seemed as if he was about to say something when Gaius gave a little pointed cough.  
"Actually, the spell was indeed quite unusual," he said while his fingers fumbled with the little piece of paper. He handed it back over to Merlin, who took it but mostly felt more confused about it.  
"The inner construction of the spell's working is something I've encountered only once so far." There was a weird suspense hanging in the air while Gaius first looked at Arthur then at Merlin, who involuntarily tensed.

"Only the Sidhe employ such magic," Gaius said with a grave voice and Merlin could barely hold back a groan. Of course, it was always the Sidhe, especially when he didn't need them. He felt like pulling his own hair out. Next to him Arthur had gone very still. He was listening to Gaius with rapt attention, not taking his eyes off him.

"What is especially queer about this spell though is that it isn't formulated in the Sidhe's own language but in ours. Which is really most unusual because the Sidhe always tend to employ their very own kind of magic." [1]

Merlin barely dared to look over to Arthur, who, to his surprise, was only rubbing his chin. After a moment of pregnant silence in which they all seemed to be contemplating of how to proceed, the king finally spoke: "We're leaving for lake Avalon as soon as Merlin is up to it. There will be no more delays, I'll appoint Guinevere as regent im-"

A knock interrupted Arthur's solemn announcement in the most mundane fashion. All three of them stared at the door in wonder, before Gaius snapped out of it and called a careful "Come in" over there.  
Arthur seemed to need to hold back a slight pout. The royal ass obviously wasn't used to being interrupted. Merlin was almost tempted to feel a bit smug.  
A young messenger stepped in, holding a little parcel out to Gaius, who had gotten up.  
"An urgent delivery from the deposit," the messenger grumbled, clearly expecting a tip after having handed over his charge. Gaius gave him a few coins and ushered him out without much further ado.

"Were you expecting something? It's quite late for mail." Merlin voiced the question that had them all staring at the mysterious wrapped thing in Gaius' hands. The old man shook his head but proceeded to sit down again next to Merlin's bed. With nimble fingers he revealed what was hidden inside and gasped.

All three of them stared at it in shocked silence.

"It that Morgana's bracelet?" Arthur finally asked. Gaius lifted and examined it by turning it around in several directions. Merlin involuntarily recoiled a bit.  
"It seems like it," Gaius answered with a frown. "But what is it doing here?"  
Attached to the bracelet also was a note. Arthur picked it off with the tip of his fingers, all the while making a grimace as if it might bite him. "_For better dreams_, it reads. What does that mean?" he looked at Merlin who could only shrug and generally felt a bit overwhelmed by the situation.

"Who else knows about your nightmares?" Arthur asked, his tone much sharper now.  
"Nobody!" There was something clearly accusing in Arthur's eyes while he studied Merlin. Probably without even noticing he had gotten up. Merlin swallowed and felt himself shrink back into the pillows.

"Sire, this all seems to be a rather tasteless prank. We don't even know if this is really the bracelet Morgana used to wear; after all it's been years since…" Arthur held up his hand, silencing the old physician. "It doesn't matter. The note alone indicates that someone else is privy to information that shouldn't have left this room. We have a spy here in Camelot," he concluded.  
For a moment there was only tense silence, then Merlin's sigh broke it. "But it would be little use for a spy to announce his knowledge like that." He searched for Arthur's gaze and tried to make his voice sound firm. "It really has more of a taunting undertone to send us something like Morgana's bracelet – no matter if fake or real – with such a note. Because that alone indicates that the sender hasn't only knowledge of the events right now but also is well informed about Morgana and her history here."

Arthur's eyes widened, then he sat down again, deflated. "But who could…" he couldn't finish the sentence and instead just stared helplessly at the two other men. Merlin had to avert his eyes. It was almost painful to see Arthur like this, so overcome in the face of events he could barely understand. It made him feel guilty again for all the secrets he had kept for such a long time. Gaius didn't seem to be feeling much better, with his gaze shifting nervously between Arthur and Merlin, unable to hold any of it.  
"Sire," he finally said, "this foe we're facing right now knows how to play us very well. It uses our weaknesses and insecurities to its advantage. Maybe there is a logical explanation for all of this, maybe there isn't, but we mustn't let it take control over the situation and keep a cool head."  
Arthur nodded distractedly, his attention now focused on the bracelet still lying on its wrapping in Gaius' lap.

"Does it really help against nightmares?" he asked, completely shifting the conversation and throwing both sorcerers off their guard. Gaius frowned but then nodded reluctantly. "Yes, if this is indeed the bracelet that used to be in Morgana's possession then it's healing powers can be considered quite effective." Arthur stared at it some more and Merlin was getting a really weird feeling. He had an idea about where this was going and he was absolutely not in favour of it, yet he said nothing as Arthur just continued to ponder the piece of jewellery with an uncanny expression on his face.

"Maybe we should try to find out if it is the real thing then."

"No!" Merlin shot up. "I know what you are about and I'm against it. I refuse to wear it!"

Arthur just looked at him and said nothing, then – as if Merlin hadn't just protested – he reached over to Gaius and took the bracelet in his hands. The turned and examined it from all directions before he most casually tossed it at his servant. Merlin folded the arms over his chest and raised his chin the most demonstrative manner. "No. You already insisted on going through with the ritual and see where it landed us." For a moment a flicker of guilt appeared on Arthur's face before he schooled his features back into the kingly mask he used to wear while dealing with obstinate peasants.  
"Yes, and I'm sorry for that. But we have made absolutely no progress in Moira's case. Neither your shawl spell nor the summoning proved to be effective," an unspoken _you're really incompetent_ was understood by all parties, "the guards couldn't find any clues either and right now we're at an impasse. So now this gift, or whatever it is supposed to be, is the only thing that might lead us somewhere. But if you have any better suggestions please enlighten me."

Merlin still had his arms crossed but his lower lip was quivering. They both knew that he didn't have anything, so he just huffed and stared at a spot somewhere next to Arthur.  
"I thought so." He picked up the bracelet again. "But if you're afraid, I can wear it first, make sure it's…"  
Merlin's head snapped back at Arthur. "You, most certainly, won't do that." His eyes were positively flashing while he stared at Arthur, on whose lips a little self-satisfied smile was tugging. Merlin snatched the bracelet out of Arthur grasp. "What if I die while wearing it?" he wasn't really serious about the question but the petulant part of his felt like throwing something at his royal pratness.

"Then I'll drag your dead body to a certain lake and enter a pact with the Sidhe."  
"That's not funny."

"I never thought it was funny."

Merlin stared at Arthur, not sure what to think, then he took a deep breath and relented.  
"Alright. I'll try it," he said but shot Arthur a reproachful glare. The king nodded and stood up. The little glance in Gaius's direction obviously indicated to look after Merlin and was met with a mild "Of course, sire."

Arthur left and Merlin still sat on his cot, warily staring at the bracelet in his lap.  
"Arthur's right. You could at least try it."  
Merlin grimaced. "But what if it's interwoven with an evil spell?"  
"Do you feel anything evil?"  
"No, but… does nobody worry about my safety anymore?" He tried to give his voice a scandalized tone but probably sounded more like sulky child, judging by Gaius' reaction to put a soothing hand on his arm. "Arthur's right, my boy. The bracelet is the only lead we have right now. And," he paused, his gaze drifting to the door then back to Merlin, "if it can help you to a more restful sleep, I would consider it worth the risk."

Merlin tensed, something in him was bristling. With much more effort than should be necessary he countered: "But Gaius, I'm already feeling much better than before. The little knock-out also had the upside that I finally got some shut-eye without dreams." The strained smile he sent in the old man's direction seemed to convince neither of them because Gaius just frowned and raised an eyebrow.  
"Oh, really? Then let me inform you that you don't actually look better. Being knocked out doesn't count as the restorative kind of sleep," he waved a warming finger in front of Merlin's face, "and that is starting to get to you. Don't deny it. You are starting to make mistakes that would normally never happen to you otherwise. The lack of sleep makes you sloppy and your magic erratic." Merlin wanted to object. He had already opened his mouth to say something but nothing came out. He stared at Gaius and knew the physician was right. So he just shook his head and held out his arm.

Gaius nodded, obviously satisfied while he slipped the bracelet on. "Don't worry, I'll have an eye on you. If something strange should occur I'll take it off immediately."  
Merlin huffed and refrained from saying anything else. He felt much wearier now and going to sleep didn't seem like such an unappealing idea anymore.

* * *

Arthur really felt bone-tired. After he had escaped from his advisers, who had been especially persistent after the king had been absent for the good deal of the day – all because of stupid Merlin, of course – and shared a by far too short meal with his wife, he was on his way back to Gaius' quarters. Somehow, he felt, this was really getting out of hand. Even though he admitted he wasn't without guilt in Merlin's latest adventure into bedriddenness, all their failures at making progress in restoring safety and order in his kingdom was starting to wear him down. He sighed inwardly and knocked softly at Gaius' door. The old man opened and begged him to enter with a silent inclination of the head.  
"He's been calm so far," he said in a low voice. Arthur nodded and let his gaze wander over Gaius' humble dwelling, now cast in the half-light the lit candles provided. Before he could inquire about Merlin's whereabouts the old man pointed to the door. "I put him up in his own room. I need the cot for real patients and after you left he was fine enough to walk in there on his own. But he really needs some proper sleep." Arthur could only agree on that. It was his turn to watch over Merlin now, so he took the candle Gaius held out to him and walked to the adjoining room. Before he entered though, he heard Gaius saying: "Should anything change, please don't hesitate to wake me, sire." Arthur nodded then entered.

The little room was dark and Arthur felt a small sense of annoyance over the fact that he was in here the second time this week. Their little trip to the tavern wasn't forgotten yet but at least Merlin hadn't passed out in drunken stupor this time. Arthur examined what he could make out of his servant's sleeping form in the dim light the candle provided. He actually looked quite peaceful. Arthur took a step closer, then decided to settle down on the chair next to Merlin's bed. He put the candle on the bedside table and studied the other man's sleeping face. Part of him was actually quite aware that what he was doing could be considered creepy but he tried to tell himself that this was all for the good of Camelot. Any maybe a little bit for Merlin's.

As Gaius had said he was calm. No erratic flickering of his eyelids, no tossing, no turning, no moaning. Just calm and relaxed. Arthur stared at him and gradually felt himself unwind. He exhaled and leant back on the chair. Maybe the stupid bracelet really worked. Which would indeed be the best – and most ironic – thing happening to them since this whole ordeal had started. Arthur's gaze wandered to the piece of jewellery on Merlin's wrist. It reflected the candlelight and most surprisingly didn't look as out of place on his servant as he had expected. Arthur huffed to himself. That only proved that he had been right about Merlin actually being a girl the whole time. But it wasn't really any fun to tease Merlin when the other one was asleep, so Arthur, very carefully, extended his hand and touched it to Merlin's forehead. He wanted to make sure he was alright, somehow expecting potential bad dreams to reveal themselves to his touch. But nothing happened. Merlin's temperature was normal and if anything the idiot seemed to snuggle into his hand, again. Arthur rolled his eyes but couldn't help the little smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

Merlin really seemed to be better, so he wanted to retract his hand when the eyelids started to flutter. Arthur tensed, then Merlin's eyes opened groggily.

They were blue.

Arthur felt a wave of relief wash over him, softly he whispered: "Go back to sleep." But Merlin was trying to focus on his surroundings, squinting at the candle and at Arthur.  
"What's the matter?" he yawned.  
"Nothing. Go back to sleep. I just wanted to make sure you're fine."  
"I was until you decided to wake me." He gave Arthur a tired smile, his eyes adjusting to the light. Arthur nodded, not sure if he should use Merlin's consciousness to address another issue that was weighing on his mind. Without wanting to his gaze strayed to the bracelet again but Merlin seemed to understand him nonetheless. The fingers of his other hand gently brushed over the silver crest.

"It works, "he said. "You were right."  
Arthur felt like he couldn't say anything to that. The truth would have been something like _I'm sorry I took a risk in forcing this on you but I didn't know what else to do _but instead he said: "I know you're wary of everything that has Morgana attached to it. But it's the first thing we try that actually hasn't backfired yet." Merlin gave a single nod and a slightly wry grin, his fingers absent-mindedly tracing the bracelet's pattern.  
"It still doesn't answer the question who sent it though," he said after a moment.  
"I know. I pondered that question since the moment I stepped out of Gaius' door. Because not many people would actually know this was Morgana's bracelet and also be informed about its magical qualities. Actually, the only people that came to my mind were you and Gaius." Arthur searched for Merlin's gaze while he said those words, trying to convey that he wasn't accusing, but in that blue eyes that looked back there still lay something provoking as if daring him to say it out loud.  
"Of course, Morgana herself and Morgause would also have known about it," Arthur continued instead, swallowing the tense feeling down. "But they are both dead, so they couldn't have done it."

"Well, according to Moll Morgana haunts the citadel, so maybe she has," Merlin scoffed. Arthur joined with a humourless grin but then shook his head. "No, I think it must be one of their followers. Someone who knew but wasn't important enough to ever cross our path."  
Merlin pursed his lips and seemed to contemplate the option. "It's possible," he conceded, "but why would they help us now?" He lifted his wrist, deliberately letting the bracelet glisten in the faint light.  
"Because, and I don't like to admit it, I actually feel better than I have I since… you know."

Arthur knew. He could see it in the other man's whole demeanour that some kind of dark shadow had been lifted. "Maybe it's redemption," he mumbled more to himself, but Merlin had heard and was slightly wrinkling his nose. "I have my doubts about that; I'd rather say it might be the attempt to ingratiate themselves with us now that Morgana's side proven to be the wrong one."  
Arthur gave a little _fair enough _nod. He was used to hypocrites at court, but sorcerers sending gifts was still something that made him rather uncomfortable.  
"Or it's just a huge plot to overthrow Camelot, as usual."  
"Probably the most likely explanation," Merlin deadpanned. There was the little twitch of a grin at the corners of Merlin's mouth and Arthur felt himself soften.  
"Right now I'm willing to take whatever I can get if it makes you better." He lowered his gaze but he could feel Merlin reach out to touch him. "Arthur, it's not as if I was dying."

"No, yet I'm still searching for the Merlin I used to know."

Merlin's hand slipped away and he lowered himself back into the pillows.  
"Things will get better," he mumbled, indicating with a tired rub over the eyes that he intended to go back to sleep. Arthur acquiesced, slowly getting up from the chair.  
"Get some more rest. We leave for Avalon before noon," he said with finality. A short look at the candle made him decide to leave it at Merlin's bedside and search for the way out in the dark.

Lucky for Arthur though, Gaius had left one burning on the table in the main room. So when he stepped through the door the sight of a slightly snoring Gaius lying on his pallet greeted him.  
Arthur turned around to close the door to Merlin's room as quietly as possible but when he turned back there was someone sitting at the table. Arthur froze.  
He stared at the dimly lit shape of the figure wearing a long cloak with a big hood concealing the face. Somehow this felt vaguely familiar. Arthur took a cautious step forward, not daring to make a sound. When he was standing right behind the stranger, almost close enough to lift a hand and touch them, something unexpected happened.

The figure moved, one side of the cloak was thrown back and now revealed a pale, thin and obviously female arm. Arthur stopped. He stared at the fair skin, the delicate wrist, and knew that he knew it. The figure, however, didn't turn. It – she – propped her elbow on the table, rotated her wrist as if to put emphasis on it and then tapped it lightly twice.  
"What is the meaning of this?" Arthur asked very softly, as if afraid to spook the spectre. The figure's head started to turn. At the same time Gaius gave a little grunt in his sleep and turned over, and Arthur made the mistake to shift his attention to him. It was only the blink of an eye but it was too late, the ghost was gone.

Arthur felt like screaming, smashing all of the numerous trinkets on Gaius' table, but instead he just took a very deep breath and balled his fist. With quick steps he left the physician's chambers. He knew he wouldn't sleep tonight.

End of chapter

[1] According to the Merlin wiki, the Sidhe spells in the show are the only ones that aren't in Old English but in Old Irish.

Note: This is the end of the first part. The second will take place on the road with the boys questing. I guess I can promise that there will be more interactions with the (remaining) knights, who got a bit neglected in this first part.

I, unfortunately, also have to announce a **hiatus** of about 4 to 6 weeks. Normally, I post every two weeks on Thursday, but with my upcoming MA exams I have to focus all my attention on them. Sometime RL is just more important, but I hope I can get back to writing once they're over. Wish me luck and stay tuned. If you have questions about the fic or when it'll be back don't hesitate to ask.


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